


Losing Control

by CleoClipper



Series: Control [2]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe, Bondage, Character Death, Drama & Romance, Drug Use, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Heavy BDSM, Lesbian Sex, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Out of Character, Past Drug Addiction, Politics, Psychological Drama, Slash, Smut, Threesome - F/F/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-16 22:56:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 65,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2287562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CleoClipper/pseuds/CleoClipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Control. Tyler and Jeremy struggle to put their lives back together in the wake of Mikael's destruction along with their family. But there is more than one obstacle standing in the way of their road to recovery: a threat they thought they would never have to deal with again, the ghosts of their pasts and themselves. Angst. Slash. Please R&R!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm baackkk! I hope you all didn't miss me too much ;) This is the sequel to Control, so if you just happened to click on this story without reading that one, it will make absolutely no sense. So I advise you read that first!
> 
> As Control was about bondage, this one will be also. Just in a different context. However, I must warn that this story is A LOT darker and more psychological than the first one! This means that there is more mature content and possibly more disturbing content than in Control. If you don't like that kind of thing, don't read it! I won't be offended but please don't flame me since I'm warning you now! If you've read the first story, you know that we left on a bit of a cliffhanger and (almost) everyone was in a dark place. This story starts three weeks later. 
> 
> Unlike my first two stories, this one is in the beginning stages of writing so when I post will vary with the time I have to write! So sorry about that!
> 
> Please read, review and enjoy! I love all my readers and I hope I didn't make you wait so long for part two!
> 
> Warnings: smutty goodness ;)
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own The Vampire Diaries or characters associated with in. I only own the plot and OMCs.

The frosty air nipped at the tips of his ears and he cursed himself for not remembering to bring his earmuffs. Grey clouds in the sky cast the already gloomy scene into further despair as they darkened. The wind hadn’t stopped since they first arrived, making the cold air even more biting. He pulled his pea coat tighter around him in the hopes of staving off the winter air. He hoped it would start snowing after they left. It would be wrong of this to be cut short due to bad weather.

“Does anyone have any words they wish to speak?”

Tyler blinked himself back to the present moment, staring at the four black coffins in front of him. They were all closed but he knew for a fact that three of them were empty. After the FBI had gone through all the refuge of Stefan’s once brilliant mansion, they hadn’t found so much as a finger to give to them to bury. They’d found fingerprints and even pieces of hair on clothing that had miraculously survived the explosion that took the lives of Stefan, his wife and Klaus Mikaelson. The labs were swamped with DNA from testing every victim of Mikael’s operation, himself included, so he knew it would take time before determining anything. Tyler just wished it would all end. It was hard enough as it was without it being dragged out for the press to discuss every other day.

It had been three weeks since they were all released from the hospital, three weeks since everything changed. It had been three weeks since Mikael’s death and they were _still_ struggling to put their lives back together. The bastard wasn’t even here and he still managed to destroy lives the way he wanted. Tyler nearly snorted at the irony.

The hand in his squeezed gently and he pressed a tender kiss to the back of it. In front of him, Rose’s hair was mused by the rough breeze that passed them He shoulders were stiff and she stood rigid but Tyler knew it was how she was keeping herself together. She had known Stefan longer than he had and he felt genuinely bad that she had lost someone she considered a dear friend. She hadn’t been nearly this upset when she’d learned of her step-brother’s death, merely having Trevor’s body shipped back to their parent for them to bury without so much as a good riddance.

Mason stood close to her, their hands intertwined. Tyler couldn’t imagine how his uncle felt. While he was mourning the loss of his mentor and former dominant, Mason was mourning the loss of a submissive, someone he cared for at a young age and helped nurture into the person he had become. He wondered if they’d ever slept together but couldn’t bring himself to ask. It was enough they’d already shared one bed partner.

“Do you want to say anything?” Jeremy’s voice shook him from his rampaging thoughts. He shook his head, squeezing his hand once more.

“It won’t change anything.”

“No, it won’t,” he mumbled quietly. Tyler leaned in to kiss his cold cheek. Jeremy had been in a mood all day and he couldn’t blame him. He was doing his best to control his emotions for his sake and his family’s but it was easier said than done. Focusing on Jeremy was what he did best and he put every effort into his lover whilst denying himself. It bothered Jeremy, he knew it did by the way he brought it up nearly every other day, but he refused to let himself feel anything. His mother begged him to talk to Jenna but he didn’t want to burden her with his problems while she was helping Jeremy through his. They were worse in his opinion.

“Could you give us a moment alone?” Katherine rasped, her voice hoarse from crying. The balding man nodded and stepped away from the podium.

When he was gone Tyler nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Sitting through this ceremony, listening to a man talk about Stefan and the others as if he knew them was difficult. No one knew the agony they were facing. No one knew how hard they were all taking this blow to their family. The media tried their best to broadcast their grief but they were wrong.

Next to Jeremy, he could hear Rebekah sobbing into Matt’s arms as she mourned the loss of her two brothers. Kol kept a hand on her back as he stared blankly at the coffins. His face was ragged and unkempt. His dark circles made him appear even more exhausted. Tyler couldn’t help but feel sorry for them; they had lost one brother, to learn that another one survived after being missing for nearly six years, only to lose him again at their own father’s hand.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mason reach over and squeeze Damon’s shoulder. His best friend was slumped forward in his white plastic chair, elbows on his knees as he covered his face. Alaric sat on his other side, hand also on his shoulder. Damon didn’t acknowledge either of them as they gave him silent support.

Tyler’s heart ached for him the most. Stefan was the one person Damon loved constantly through his life, the one who taught him to love unconditionally. He’d lived for Stefan, loved him as fiercely and loyally as siblings were supposed to love one another. He felt that same love for Katherine despite her not being blood related. He couldn’t imagine a world without his wild, free-spirited sister just as he imagined Damon couldn’t fathom a world without Stefan. And nothing any of them said could dull that pain in his heart of losing the last of his family.

Katherine sat with Caroline, both gripping hands and the blonde’s head on the brunette’s shoulder. It was the first time Tyler had seen them together in weeks. The blonde took to hiding in her room and locking the door when she was released from the hospital, not coming out unless to eat every now and then. It killed him to see the bubbly blonde reduced to this shell of her former self and it killed Jeremy too. It was as if he’d lost his best friend. Caroline wasn’t the same and he was sure she would never fully recover from the trauma she faced. When he wasn’t comforting Jeremy from nightmares he was comforting his sister, holding her as she cried in his arms for the loss of both Caroline and Damon. He wondered if they would ever be able to make their relationship work again.

Jeremy sniffed next to him and he pulled him into a hug without saying a word. He could feel him shaking and he pressed a kiss to his neck as he gripped his nape.

“I’m sorry this happened,” he said against his neck.

“This isn’t your fault Jer,” he admonished lightly. “You didn’t kill them.”

“If—if he hadn’t been looking for me, if I had just done as he’d asked—”

“No,” he pulled away to look into sorrowful brown eyes. “Stefan died protecting you and that was what he wanted.”

Jeremy wondered if he believed his own words. They may not show it, but he knew that deep down they all hated him for getting Stefan murdered. They had to. He was a part of their family longer than he was and he destroyed it. Jenna called what he was feeling survivor’s guilt. He called it the truth.

Eventually Damon stepped away from their group, opting to stand by the large willow tree on the hill with his back to them. No one followed him though Tyler could see Katherine itching desperately to say something to him. Damon had told him he was keeping his distance from the women and he’d left it at that. Tyler didn’t press his best friend for any more than he was willing to give. This was how he grieved and he would respect it while making sure he did nothing to harm himself.

Jeremy stared at his former dominant with a sad, longing gaze. Tyler pulled him into another tight hug, letting his head rest on his shoulder. Jeremy blamed himself for his brother’s death and it was seen clearly in how he acted towards him. Damon treated Jeremy no differently than before, even having a long talk with him when they were out of the hospital about how he was doing. It didn’t appease the orphan and he worried constantly how he would ever make things right between them again.

Footsteps approaching them made him raise his head and he fought back a growl when he saw Elijah Mikaelson, donning an orange jumpsuit and shackled by his wrists and feet. He was guarded by two heavily armed officers from the FBI.

“If you all don’t mind, Mr. Mikaelson would like the chance to say good-bye to his brothers.”

Tyler wanted to protest but held his tongue. It wasn’t his place to deny him. He looked to Kol and Rebekah, each of them regarding their eldest brother warily.

“Yeah,” the dark-haired police officer said roughly. Matt took Rebekah by the hand as they stood. She paused when Elijah was next to her and simply regarded the brother that she now realized she never knew. The days they would play together as children seemed like another life as she took in his haggard appearance and sorrowful eyes. Everyone paused as they watched the tense exchange.

“I’m sorry that it has come to this Rebekah,” he said softly. “I never meant for any of you to get hurt.”

Rebekah said nothing as she kept staring. Her long blonde hair billowed behind her like a curtain in the wind, the cold air freezing her tears to her cheeks.

“One day, I will be able to accept your apology,” she said finally, her voice carrying over them. “But right now, I don’t even want my child to know of you. You helped put our brothers, our _family_ here Elijah. Right now…I don’t have the strength to forgive you.”

Elijah nodded minutely.

“I wish you both a long and happy life,” he looked between his two siblings. “I hope you and everyone else my actions have hurt will be able to find peace someday.”

Rebekah looked away as her tears started again and she quickly walked towards the road, bringing her hand to her mouth as her sobs resumed. Matt followed after her without a backwards glance. Kol offered his brother a light squeeze on his shoulder.

“Good-bye Elijah,” he said quietly before running after them.

Tyler watched them leave with a heavy heart. He couldn’t bring himself to feel any sort of compassion for the punishment that Elijah was going to face, though he did feel a little funny about him taking the fall for all his father’s misgivings. The public, however, wouldn’t settle for anything less than the maximum. Even after three weeks, fear loitered in the streets that Mikael’s influence still lingered and the new government wanted that fear abolished as quickly as possible lest there be another uprising. He snorted; the bastard had screwed everyone over, including the only son that was loyal to him.

 He and Jeremy watched from a distance as Elijah put his hand on Klaus’ and Henrik’s coffins. It was tragic that everything he’d done to keep Klaus away from their father had been for naught. Elijah had sold his soul to the devil in the hopes that Klaus would be spared from the fate Mikael chose for him and now he was paying the ultimate price. Tyler felt as if he should stand up for his former butler but Mikael wouldn’t have known about Jeremy if it weren’t for him. He wouldn’t have taken Jeremy and Caroline to be terrorized or killed Stefan trying to get to him. He was just as guilty as Mikael for those two reasons.

“I feel bad for him. He’s going to take the fall for everything Mikael did and he didn’t want to be a part of it,” Jeremy spoke softly, as if he’d read his mind. “He only wanted to protect his brother.”

“He could’ve found another way.”

“Could he?”

Tyler remained silent. That wasn’t a question he could answer.

The hidden sun was starting to set by the time Damon made their way back to them. He’d been crying; everyone could tell but no one made any mention of it. Tyler couldn’t help but pulling him into a hug. The raven-haired billionaire stiffened momentarily before returning it.

“I’m alright,” he reassured as he pulled away. It was a lie, but he told it nonetheless. He caught Jeremy’s eye and gave him a small smile. “You guys ready to go?”

“If you are. I think they’re going to lower the coffins soon.”

“We don’t need to be here for that. Plus I’m starving.”

Tyler took this to mean he didn’t want to see his little brother’s final departure. He couldn’t blame him.

“Tell me you have food.”

“Dolly cooked. All comfort food,” he chuckled lightly. Damon forced a grin.

“I’m in.”

* * *

Dolly had cooked enough food to last them all a week. By the time they returned she, Carol and Amelie were already loading the table for their feast. The atmosphere changed immediately when they sat down to nearly twenty dishes and multiple bottles of the finest wines from around the world. Jeremy wondered if it was wrong of them to be talking and indulging and laughing considering they had just come from a funeral.

When they had their fill of food they stored the leftovers in the refrigerator before retiring to Tyler’s parlor. The billionaire engaged Damon, Kol and Matt in a game of Dominos while Katherine and Rebekah watched. Her hand rested on her still flat belly but Jeremy suspected she would start showing soon.

He sat away from everyone, his own wine glass dangling from his hand as he got lost in his thoughts. They revolved around the same thing each time and he was tired of thinking. Tired of repeatedly seeing Mikael’s head being blown open and showering him with blood, tired of seeing himself grab the knife out of his side and slit his throat open, his dead, soulless eyes glaring back at him, taunting him as he further dehumanized him—

“Hey,” Caroline sat next to him, dressed in a pair of sweats and a baggy sweater. She held her wine glass from dinner in her hand. Jeremy could tell she was inebriated by the rosiness of her cheeks.

“Hey,” he sounded surprised. It was the first time she’d spoken to him in three weeks.

“You okay?”

“I’m—I’m fine,” he gave her a hesitant smile. “How’re you feeling?”

She shrugged, “Pretty shitty, to be honest. But this is the first time I’ve felt like myself since…everything.”

“I know what you mean,” he said quietly. They were silent for a moment.

“Did you ever tell Tyler about…about Elena and Katherine?” she lowered her voice when she spoke their names. Jeremy shook his head.

“Only about Klaus.”

She bit her lip.

“I don’t know what good it’ll do if we do say something,” she sucked in a sharp breath. “I feel awful keeping this a secret but…is there really a point now?”

Jeremy had been wondering the same thing. On top of worrying about Mikael, he felt a significant amount of guilt about keeping Katherine’s true lineage a secret. The brunette fashion designer was already a mess and he didn’t want to add to her grief. Still…a part of him felt that she had the right to know about her twin sister.

“I honestly don’t know,” he sighed. “I feel like it’s not the right time, but when is there ever a right time to tell someone they have a sister they never knew about?”

“And one that looks just like you,” she snorted quietly. Her cerulean eyes drifted to Katherine and gave a small smile when the brunette bestowed her with one. “I can’t even look at her sometimes because I feel so guilty about knowing something she doesn’t know about herself. I never used to keep secrets from her…now it’s become so easy.”

Jeremy could relate. He and Tyler had spent the past three weeks avoiding the topic of Mikael, his captivity, Trevor and anything related to it. The billionaire hadn’t even brought up his proposal or dominance and submission. At times he was grateful to not have to deal with it, other times he missed the feeling of giving himself to Tyler so completely.

“Have you _tried_ this cake?” Vicki sat on the other love seat near them with a plate of yellow cake. “Your cook is amazing Jeremy. You’re so lucky. Sorry, am I interrupting? You guys look really serious.”

“You’re fine,” he laughed. Even Caroline had to crack a smile. Vicki had bounced back better than any of them…at least she pretended she did. Jeremy knew she was still traumatized but she’d been getting better with each day she wasn’t in her holding cell. He was surprised that she spent so much time with Damon in these past three weeks but he didn’t press her for information.

“This is seriously the life of luxury. Can’t say I’m not jealous,” she stuffed her mouth greedily. “I thought Damon was kidding when he said you had a cook.”

Caroline excused herself as she sat her wine glass on the coffee table. They watched her practically run out of the room towards the stairs, Jeremy with his sad, resigned expression and Vicki looking confused.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“It’s not you,” Jeremy murmured. He jumped slightly when she put her hand on his knee.

“It’s me.”

“I know. Sorry I…sorry,” he mumbled as he ran a hand over his exhausted face. Vicki gave him a sad smile.

“Nightmares?”

“Yeah.”

“I get them too,” she murmured. “I wake them up sometimes. Sometimes I hear Rebekah screaming too. We talk about them, even when we don’t want to. Is it bad that I’m happy it’s not just me?”

“No. It’s nice knowing someone understands,” Jeremy murmured. “Tyler has them too but he doesn’t like to talk about them. He only talks about mine.”

His eyes drifted to the billionaire. He was concentrating on the game but Jeremy noticed more worry lines on his face that had nothing to do with strategizing on how to win. He didn’t like it considering how young he was. The dark circles were less visible against his darker skin but they were still present. He imagined he looked no better, purposefully avoiding his own eye contact in the mirrors so he couldn’t see just how badly Mikael damaged him. He could gage how pitiful he looked every time Tyler’s eyes landed on him and gave him that woeful smile.

Jeremy honestly felt as if he were still in captivity. Being driven crazy by his memoires was proving to be slightly worse than the real thing, only because his dismal imagination could conjure images that were 100 times worse than what really took place. He wanted nothing more than for them to stop but he didn’t know how.

“Are you going to therapy?”

“Yeah.”

“Does it help?”

“Kind of,” he said lowly. “We talk about it but it only gives me more nightmares. If I don’t talk about it, I think about it and that gives me worse nightmares. I can’t win no matter what I do.”

She made a disapproving noise and took his hand.

“It has to get better. He doesn’t get to keep winning,” she muttered. “He’s dead and he’s never coming back. And the people that hurt us are going to prison. They shouldn’t get to still torture us. It’s not fair.”

Jeremy couldn’t’ve agreed more.

Later that night he and Tyler soaked in the bathtub in complete silence. Jeremy leaned against him as he washed his hair and his body but could barely feel his hands. His mind was still racing, dreading the moment when he would have to try to sleep. Maybe he would be lucky tonight and not dream at all.

“You okay?” Tyler’s soft voice blew over his ear. He nodded.

“Just thinking.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“No,” the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. He gazed at him through wet, dark lashes. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” he kissed his nose.

“I feel like I’m always shutting you out,” he admitted quietly. “I don’t like it.”

“Talk when you’re ready,” he said simply. Jeremy hummed and leaned against his shoulder.

“Is there anything you wanna talk about?” he asked coyly.

“I’m fine,” he grinned. It was false but Jeremy returned it to appease him.

“Alright.”

Another round of silence followed them. Jeremy wondered when they were going to stop tip-toeing around issues and just talk. A part of him was afraid to disrupt this spurious, harmonious routine they’d fallen into and just hash out their problems. But he didn’t think he had the strength for that talk, at least not tonight.

He was the first to get out ten minutes later, missing Tyler’s frown of concern. He followed suit, taking Jeremy’s towel when he was done to dry off. He caught sight of his perfect ass and licked his lips. It felt like it’d been years since they were intimate when’d it only been a couple weeks. Between injuries and hospitals and funerals and everything else they barely had time to feed themselves before they were on the move again. And then there were the nightmares and sleep deprivation that put a definite damper on their sex life. It was understandable but Tyler missed him, missed what they used to have.

Dropping the towel, his arms snaked around Jeremy’s waist and pulled him into his chest. He was still slightly damp and heat radiated off of him, his semi-erect cock pressing into those perfect globes. Jeremy reacted immediately, wiggling his hips slightly as he let out a huff of air. He pressed a kiss to his pale back, then another on his shoulder, then two more on the other one and Jeremy was turning around and pressing their lips together heatedly, his soft hands cupping his face and his tongue pressing incessantly against his lips. Tyler opened his mouth at the same time he grabbed his ass to bring him closer causing their cocks to brush together. They both moaned at the contact.

He wasn’t at all prepared for Jeremy to push him into the wall by his shoulders. He laced their fingers together and pulling them above his head. He absently thought that Jeremy being taller than him in this situation was pretty fucking sexy before Jeremy grinded into him and he stopped thinking. This position made him miss the dominance and submission part of their relationship. But there was no telling when Jeremy would be ready for that again. Tyler didn’t have the heart to tie him up when he’d been forced into chains barely a month ago.

The kiss grew in intensity. Soon they were rolling their hips against each other and swallowing each other’s tongues and moans rapidly. Tyler’s hands squeezed Jeremy’s slender hips when he kissed his strong jawline down to his neck, his head resting against the wall as he took in the nearly forgotten sensation of Jeremy’s lips on his skin. His soft hands cupped his face and his lips were back on his, stealing his breath away as his body pressed into his deliciously and he felt what little of his self-control he still possessed wither away.

He turned them around quickly, pressing Jeremy into the wall chest first. Jeremy thrust back into him, groaning as Tyler grabbed his hips and rolled his own into them. He bit his lip when he felt lips trailing down his back, kissing every bit of his skin lower and lower until he reached his ass. His head fell forward to the wall as Tyler spread his cheeks apart and kissed the puckered hole. Jeremy cried out when his tongue thrust inside him and he squeezed his eyes shut as he grabbed his throbbing cock. He normally cringed at the thought of this but the way Tyler did it was amazing.

His thumb rubbed against his head as his slick tongue moved against him and he gasped with a quick jerk of his hips, unsure of which way to move for more pleasure. His tongue felt _so_ good against him it was quickly driving him insane. When it started thrusting at the same time his hand started tugging Jeremy began moaning, his voice bouncing off the bathroom walls.

He came so hard that his knees buckled a little. His cum spurted against his hand and over the bathroom wall. His hand kept moving through his orgasm as he writhed against him until he was sated. The orphan lowered himself to his knees and Tyler pulled him back so that his back was to his chest. Jeremy sagged against him, his head going to his shoulder as he reached back to kiss him. He could taste himself mingled with the lavender bubble bath soap they just bathed in.

Jeremy could feel Tyler’s erection pressing into his back and turned onto his knees to face him. He straddled him, letting his cock press between his cheeks once more as their kiss turned into a passionate make-out session. Tyler groaned when his lips went to his neck and he grabbed his ass to pull him closer, their skin nearly sticking together from the heat and hot water.

Jeremy nipped at his ear before kissing and sucking his way down his body. Tyler sat back on his hands as Jeremy’s lips hovered over the dark scar on his chest. He watched as his eyes glazed over with emotion and then pressed a lingering kiss to it. His hand came to the nape of Jeremy’s neck to play with the hairs there as he did it again and again.

Eventually Jeremy moved down his body to his taut stomach and tight pelvic muscles. He pushed Tyler down gently to get better access to his cock. Pressing a kiss to the head of it and lapping up the small bead of pre-come, he didn’t warn Tyler before swallowing him down. The billionaire let out a slow breath, his hand going to grip Jeremy’s shoulder.

“Fuck,” he jerked his hips when he hit the back of Jeremy’s throat. Jeremy pulled off a little bit and waited until Tyler’s hips lowered before continuing. The billionaire’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as Jeremy’s tongue did that thing that drove him insane. He made the mistake of looking into Jeremy’s eyes, watching himself disappear in that wet, warm mouth and nearly came on the spot.

Quickly he pulled Jeremy up by his shoulders and kissed him hard. The younger moaned into his mouth, his hand traveling down to grasp him.

“I want you,” Tyler gasped as he started stroking. Jeremy nodded and allowed Tyler to pull him to his feet. It seemed as if he had flown to their bed for the next moment they were laying down. Jeremy’s hands ran over the scars on Tyler’s shoulder and his chest once more and it reminded him of _why_ he had to kill Mikael.

His eyes shot open as Tyler’s lips went to his neck. He killed Mikael because he wasn’t going to let them go. He was going to kill him and Tyler and he couldn’t let that happen. He was so damn selfish when it came to him that he ended another man’s life, something he thought he wasn’t even capable of. And though he knew he killed Mikael out of pure fear and hatred, he knew that his main reason was the man he was holding in his arms right now.

Or was it?

“Jer?”

He blinked when he realized that he had stopped participating. He gave Tyler an apologetic smile and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips before sliding his tongue inside. Tyler pulled back quickly to look at him.

“What’s wrong?” he murmured with worried eyes.

“Nothing,” he sighed as he sat up. “I didn’t mean to zone out on you.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot,” he said softly. “I’m just worried about you.”

“Don’t be,” he gave him a quick smile. “I’m fine Ty. Really.”

“No you’re not.”

His smile disappeared as Tyler’s frown deepened.

“You don’t have to lie to me. I _know_ you’re not fine,” he said as he sat on his knees. “If you’re not ready for this then we don’t have to—”

“That’s not—I promise it’s not—” Jeremy took a deep breath. “It’s not that I just…I zone out sometimes because I…I…”

“You’re thinking about how you killed Mikael.”

He flinched. “Yeah.”

Silence settled over them, the mood rapidly losing its passion from moments ago. Jeremy shifted back towards the headboard and brought his legs up. He caught sight of the blue rose on his ankle and he looked away quickly, searching for something on the bed.

“Did you move my socks?”

Tyler reached behind him at the foot of the bed and grabbed the folded cotton. He watched as Jeremy pulled them on hastily.

“You don’t have to wear them.”

“Yes I do,” he muttered as he slid under the blankets in an attempt to cover himself. “I don’t want to be reminded every time I look at my feet.”

Tyler couldn’t say he blamed him. Nothing prepared him for the overwhelming anger that overtook him when he discovered that Jeremy had been branded like Caroline, Rebekah and Vicki. All of them bore Mikael’s mark and they weren’t sure of how they were going to remove it. Pearl had told them it wasn’t a normal tattoo, that they couldn’t use the lasers to remove it because it hadn’t been drawn on, but scarred into the skin. As a way to cover it up, Jeremy had taken to wearing socks. From what Damon told him, Vicki wore them in double layers.

Looking at the rose hurt his heart. It reminded him that while he’d saved Jeremy, he couldn’t save him from being tortured. He knew that his pain was nothing compared to Jeremy’s. He was forced to wear that rose as a symbolic reminder of the hell he went through, of the torture he suffered and the lives that were forever altered because of Mikael. It was times like these where he was glad Jeremy was the one to end the bastard’s life.

Jeremy curled onto his side with his pillow. Tyler sighed as he crawled into bed next to him, making sure to keep his distance. He felt his loneliness creeping back up when Jeremy kept his back to him and tried to hamper it down. He wasn’t alone; Jeremy was right there. He was _always_ right there and yet he felt so distant from him. He missed talking the way they used to. He missed holding him and kissing him every now and then just because he could. He didn’t want to push Jeremy into being close to him when he wasn’t ready for it but he needed comfort too.

As if his mind was being read, Jeremy rolled over and slid against his side. Tyler’s arms immediately went around him, smiling slightly when he pressed a lingering kiss to his neck.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Tyler soothed as he kissed his hair. “I just want you to know I’m here for you. And I’ll listen if you want to talk. It won’t be too much for me, I promise.”

Jeremy didn’t doubt it. He just wasn’t ready to discuss how he ended Mikael’s life a brutally as he had.

“I know,” he whispered. “I’m here for you too.”

* * *

Later on at Damon’s house, Vicki stared dazedly at the sky as she took another rough inhale from his pipe. The smoke tickled her throat but when she released it she felt a nearly overwhelming calm take over. Leaning back against the recliner, she took a sip from her wine glass and passed the pipe to Damon. She watched as he lit up and blue circles of perfect Os into the air.

“How do you do that?” she grinned.

“Practice,” he did it again, finishing with a smirk. “It’s easy once you know how.”

“You probably know all the stoner tricks,” she laughed.

“I know a good few. That’s what happens when you smoke all the time.”

“You don’t look like much of a smoker.”

“That’s the beauty of marijuana,” he took a drink of his beer. “More wine?”

“I’m good. I should probably be going,” she stood to stretch, the jacket she was wearing rising up and showing a sliver of skin. “They worry when I come home late.”

“Why don’t you just sleep here? I have plenty of empty rooms,” Damon suggested. Vicki’s eyebrows rose.

“You’d be cool with that?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t,” he smirked. She flustered a little.

“I…I mean I would but I don’t have any clothes or…anything—”

“I have plenty of clothes,” he stood too. “I just don’t want you going out there stoned. Your brother would probably kill me.”

“That must be the reason. You don’t want him to know how bad of an influence you are,” she teased. He laughed.

“Guilty,” he grinned. “C’mon, I’ll get you some stuff.”

She followed him upstairs and to the first room. She gaped when she saw how lavish it was. Crème colored with hints of brown and purple mingled in with the decorations, surprising her.

“This was Jeremy’s room when he was staying here,” Damon handed her a set of fluffy green towels. “Everything’s been washed, don’t worry.”

“How many bedrooms do you have?”

“Eight including mine. Then there’s all the bedrooms that could be that I turned into other things.”

“Like what?”

He smiled mysteriously, “Personal rooms. For my eyes only.”

The way his eyes sparkled mischievously made her shiver. She felt that there was more behind that statement than he was letting on.

He disappeared for another moment and came back with a bathrobe, toothbrush, hairbrush, a tank top and sweatpants. Vicki smirked when she saw the Victoria Secret heart on the side of them.

“I didn’t know you were into Pink,” she laughed as she held them up.

“They’re Katherine’s, I think.”

She faced him. “She stays here?”

“Yeah, sometimes.”

“She doesn’t live that far away from you.”

Damon said nothing. Vicki turned around to face him again.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head with another disarming smile. “I’ll see you in the morning. I’ll call Matt and let him know you’re here.”

“Thanks,” she said softly as he closed the door. She turned back to her pajamas for the night and frowned slightly. In the three weeks she’d been around Damon Salvatore and the people he called family, she realized that she didn’t know much about any of them at all. Not even Matt, Rebekah and Kol but that was slowly changing. She knew Jeremy but she hadn’t seen him in so long that he might as well have been a stranger too. All of them were strangers, which made her wonder why she felt as if she could trust them already. She’d spent her whole life being weary of people because of her mother and now Damon Salvatore was erasing that doubt despite the mysterious air about him. How could he make it go away so quickly?

“I’m stoned,” she concluded with a laugh. She stripped out of the clothes that Rebekah loaned her and took her towels into the bathroom.

* * *

Jeremy screamed Tyler’s name as he jerked awake from his horrifying dream of repeatedly slitting Mikael’s throat. His head knocked into Tyler’s chin as he tried to sit up, making the billionaire groan and sink back into the pillows.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Jeremy gasped as he scrambled over him to turn on the light. “God Ty I’m sorry!”

“It’s alright,” he rotated his jaw once. “You okay?”

“Just a bad dream,” he took a deep breath and tried to quell the shaking. “I’ll be okay.”

“Tell me about it.”

Jeremy looked away, “You don’t want to hear it.”

“Yes I do. That’s why I asked you.”

Jeremy continued to look down at the blankets. Tyler took his chin and turned it so he was gazing into his eyes instead.

“Jer, you can’t keep this bottled up,” he said softly. “It’s killing you.”

“Like you keep everything bottled up?” he snorted as he pulled away. Tyler’s eyebrows rose.

“What does that mean?”

“You never want to tell me what your nightmares are about but you expect me to tell you mine,” he pulled away from Tyler completely. “You keep everything bottled up so why can’t I?”

Tyler blinked in confusion at the sudden edge Jeremy’s voice had taken.

“You went through more than I did,” he said slowly. “You went through a lot of trauma Jeremy.”

“I’ve been traumatized my whole life. Why is this anything special?” he quipped as he found his pajama pants on the ground. “It’s nothing to make a big deal about Tyler.”

“I’m not making a big deal out of it. I just want you to talk to me when you—”

“I _don’t_ want to, okay? That’s what I have Jenna for.”

“Do you even talk to her, or do you just talk about how you feel guilty about Stefan’s death? You probably haven’t told her about your nightmares, have you?” Tyler felt his anger starting to get the better of him. He didn’t understand why Jeremy was lashing out at him when he was only trying to help.

“What I tell Jenna is _none_ of your business,” Jeremy snapped as he pulled his shirt over his head roughly. “None of this is any of your business, alright? I don’t need your help.”

He flew out of bed to find his own clothes. “What the hell is wrong with you Jeremy? I’m trying to be here for you and you won’t let me in!”

“So now there’s something wrong because you don’t know every little thing that happens in my day?” he spat. “I know you have control freak tendencies but I’m not your slave or your submissive or whatever. We don’t have a contract binding us anymore so I don’t have to tell you anything. Even if we did, it’s not legal so it doesn’t mean shit. You don’t own me and you don’t control me, not anymore.”

Tyler’s mouth dropped as Jeremy stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door. Now would be the time to be rational and give Jeremy space. Jeremy was obviously dealing with something that was tearing him apart and he, being the sympathetic person he was, was taking time to be there for him when he could’ve been elsewhere dealing with his own issues of his father’s reopened murder and Stefan’s death and everything else. Yet he had taken time out for Jeremy and he was _angry_ with him for it? How the fuck was that fair?

Before Tyler knew what he was doing he was storming into the bathroom, seething at the way Jeremy jumped when the door hit the wall. In the back of his mind, he wondered why it wasn’t locked.

“You’re an ungrateful brat, you know that?” he snapped harshly. “I’ve done _everything_ to make you comfortable, to be there for you, to give you what _you_ needed while _you_ dealt with your shit and now _I’m_ the one that’s wrong? I don’t know if getting mad at me is some new tactic of coping that you have but it’s seriously fucked up Jeremy. You don’t see me getting pissed at you for no fucking reason so you don’t have an excuse for this other than you can’t deal with your shit and you’re taking it out on me!”

“You always make _everything_ about you!” Jeremy yelled back. “These are _my_ nightmares! These are _my_ problems and I’m not ready to talk about them with you! It has nothing to do with you, you self-centered bastard! The entire world doesn’t revolve around you! Everyone has their own shit to deal with and guess what? It doesn’t involve you so back off!”

“You’re sleeping in my bed, waking me up at four every damn morning so I think it does involve me!”

“Well then I’ll sleep in another room so I don’t disturb your beauty rest! Happy, prick?”

“Perfect! Go scream about it on Caroline’s side of the house and wake her up! I’m sure she’ll really appreciate that!”

“Better than having it thrown back in my face by an asshole like you!” Jeremy snarled. Tyler let out a disbelieving laugh.

“I don’t know why the fuck I bother,” he grumbled as he turned to leave.

“What’d you say?”

“I said I don’t know why I fucking bother!” he snapped as he turned back around. “I don’t know why I keep wasting my time when all you’re going to do is push me away! It’s like you want me to leave you alone so I will. You can figure out your shit and I’ll figure out mine. Alone.”

Jeremy couldn’t deny that those words stung. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Tyler around because he did. He just didn’t know how to tell him about Mikael. He didn’t even know he was capable of the level of violence that now haunted his dreams. He didn’t want to admit to himself that he _could_ do something like that. So how could he admit to doing it to anyone else?

The door slamming again made him jump. He turned back to the counter and splashed cold water on his face. He didn’t mean to start a fight. He hated when they fought. And he was wrong about half of it; this situation _was_ about Tyler. About how he’d killed for him and he could barely live with himself because of it. But it was also about the knowledge that he would do it again without hesitation if Tyler was in danger.

His eyes stung with tears and he closed his eyes to keep them back. He gripped the counter as the entire scene played in his mind again as if it were on repeat. He could almost feel the blood on his shirt, the cuts on his hands as he dislodged the knife from his side and crawled towards Mikael’s dead corpse. He could feel the anger and hatred and fear and desperation to survive coursing through him as he dragged the steel blade across his throat, watching the blood run in small rivers down his pale skin. He could feel the power coursing through his veins as he ran it over that same wound three times before thrusting the blade into Mikael’s chest over and over and _over_. He could feel himself revel in the feeling of taking the bastard’s life that had nearly taken his and he _liked_ it.

Maybe it was more than Tyler. Maybe he used Tyler as his excuse to kill because the truth was too terrifying to admit.

His eyes opened slowly and he stared at them in the mirror blankly. The light brown of his irises had disappeared and become nearly black like coal. These weren’t the eyes of a wounded victim that acted in a moment of panic for his life and his loved one. These were the eyes of a stone cold killer. Even with the tear trailing down his face, they did not look like eyes that were sorry for killing Mikael Mikaelson.

His face crumpled and he bit his lip to keep from sobbing too loudly. He sank to his knees, keeping his hands on the counter and resting his head against the wooden doors, gritting his teeth against the pain he suddenly felt in the lower left area of his stomach. He gasped for breath as it overtook him.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

Tyler grumbled irritably as he took another hit of marijuana from his bong. He blew the smoke into the brisk night air from his balcony and felt more tension leave him. He could hear his conscious that sounded like Mason telling him how counterproductive he was being but he could give a fuck at the moment. Jeremy pissed him off so much that he needed to let off a little steam so he wouldn’t do something to scare him.

He honestly believed that everything was fine with them. He thought when his mother told him that Jeremy’s personality could be altered by the number of concussions he’d sustained throughout his life that she was just being paranoid. But Jeremy had been different ever since he’d woken up and truthfully, it was starting to worry him. There were traces of the sweet, caring boy that he’d come to love but he wondered where the rest of him had gone. Or maybe this was who Jeremy truly was and he didn’t recognize it until now.

 _Don’t be an idiot_ he scoffed to himself as he grabbed his container of marijuana to pack another bowl. The door sliding open made his bare shoulders tense but he kept his eyes determinedly on his task. He didn’t even look up even when he felt the cushion dip.

“I’m sorry,” Jeremy said softly when he lit the greens. “You’re right. You’re just trying to help me and I shouldn’t take this out on you.”

Tyler inhaled the smoke and turned his head to the side to let it out. He counted to three in his head and made sure his answer wouldn’t come out as a growl before speaking.

“Ever since we’ve come home you act like you’d rather not be around me,” he allowed the hurt to show on his face. “You never talk to me, you’re always annoyed with me, and all I’m trying to do is help you.”

“I know and I’m sorry,” Jeremy took his hand. “I don’t mean to push you away. I don’t want to.”

“So why do you?”

“Because…I’m scared of what you’ll think of me if you knew what happened,” he admitted quietly. “I killed someone Tyler. I butchered his body when he was already dead. I don’t want you to think I’m…”

“What?”

“Psychotic,” he said quietly. “I killed him and I…I’m not sorry I did. It disgusts me but it’s true. He was going to kill me and you and when I pulled the trigger and used the knife it just felt...”

He looked away as he bit his lip. Tyler set his bong on the table so he could pull Jeremy into his arms, listening as he kept talking about the details of Mikael’s murder. To anyone else listening, he might have sounded insane but Tyler couldn’t see him that way even if he tried. He personally knew what psychotic looked like.

He stayed quiet as Jeremy rehashed every nightmare that plagued him for three weeks. By the time he was done the sun was coming up and flooding his balcony with orange and yellow light.

“You’re not psychotic. You killed a man that’s been terrorizing the city for years, so I think that makes you a hero,” Tyler chuckled as he kissed his forehead.

“If I was a hero I’d feel guiltier about killing him.”

“Not after all the shit he did to you and everyone else. Anyone who can feel sorry for that bastard is psychotic.”

Jeremy laughed.

“All joking aside, you’re not crazy Jer. And I can’t believe you went three weeks thinking that you were,” Tyler reprimanded. “You liking the feeling of killing the man that tortured you and branded you like you were an animal is normal.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he sighed. Tyler allowed that to be the end of the conversation and leaned back into his recliner, Jeremy resting his head on his shoulder.

“I was scared to tell you all of that because…I thought you wouldn’t want to marry me.”

“Seriously? You got rid of the guy that’s wanted me dead for years. I’d be a damn fool to let you go,” he grinned. Jeremy laughed and kissed the corner of his mouth.

“You’re crazy.”

“I’m truthful. And you’re my hero,” he smirked. “I’m indebted to you for the rest of my life.”

“That sounds promising,” Jeremy grinned up at him. “I’ll have to think of something really good for you to do.”

“Please do,” he purred before he kissed him, his heart swelling with love and devotion. It made him hot all over knowing that Jeremy loved him so much he’d kill for him. At least he wasn’t the only one that loved this hard.

When Jeremy couldn’t breathe he pulled away. Tyler followed him, keeping their lips against his but allowing air to pass through. Jeremy’s heart was pounding when he stared into his eyes, the bright morning sun reflecting off of them and making them brighter.

“What?” Jeremy breathed when a half-smile formed on Tyler’s face.

“Let’s get married.”

Jeremy beamed, “When?”

“Now.”

It fell slightly. “What?”

“We can go anywhere in the world. Let’s pick a place and get married.”

The seriousness in his eyes juxtaposed with the childish grin on his face made Jeremy wonder if Tyler was wholly serious.

“What about our family?”

“We’ll tell them whenever we come back. It should just be me and you,” he breathed as he pulled him into another soulful kiss. Jeremy inhaled sharply when their tongues dueled once more, heart pounding at his words.

“They’re going to be pissed.”

“They’ll get over it,” he reached over and kissed him quickly. “You can pick where we go, I don’t care. Just say yes.”

Jeremy’s luminescent smile was all the answer he needed.

 


	2. Chapter 2

When Caroline awoke that morning from another nightmare she immediately knew that today was going to be terrible like the previous ones. Like she normally did, she lay in bed as she tried, in vain, not to cry and wound up curling around her pillow and sobbing. It wasn’t fair that the people who had tormented her, people she didn’t even _know_ , still had this power over her. It wasn’t fair that she was the one who suffered from internal bleeding and an STD while they came and went, using her as if she were nothing but a toy. It wasn’t fair that because of them she was terrified of everyone and everything, including the people she loved. It wasn’t fair at all that as much as she wanted to receive comfort from Katherine and even Damon, she was terrified of their touch.

Another sob left her when she thought about Damon’s absence from her life. Sure, she had told him to leave her alone but she’d been acting irrationally. She had just been told she’d been cured of chlamydia and that she’d been assaulted so badly they had to surgically fix her up between her legs. She hadn’t wanted to see anyone, especially two people she loved so much. She didn’t expect Damon to walk out of her life completely.

The blonde was aware that he and Katherine had continued on without her but that wasn’t what bothered her. She was nearly relieved that Katherine could find comfort in him when she couldn’t get it from her. What had hurt her was that Damon left so quickly and without so much of a backwards glance that it made her question if she had ever been important to him or if he’d only put up with her for Katherine’s sake.

When she’d seen him with Vicki Donovan after the funeral, she became convinced that she was right. He had on _that_ smile he always wore when talking to new women and it bothered her so intensely that she barely understood it. It was wrong to hate Vicki for being there when she wasn’t but that didn’t stop her from doing so. When she’d seen her with Katherine and Damon, she grew hot with rage towards her Mistress for even _looking_ at her. The fact that she was also Jeremy’s adoptive sister also rubbed her the wrong way.

Caroline would be lying if she said she didn’t feel somewhat possessive over him after everything they’d been through. Jeremy came to _her_ for advice, cried on _her_ shoulder when he confessed his feelings for Tyler. They were even hiding Stefan’s secret together. Jeremy was _her_ best friend. _They_ were a family now. Vicki had no right to come in and take him back. It was hard enough to share him with Bonnie and she actually liked her. To share him with Vicki Donovan too…she didn’t think she could handle. She didn’t _want_ to handle. Seeing them together after the funeral broke her heart and she had to excuse herself from them to run to her room and cry into her pillow. She was being replaced in the hearts of everyone she loved and she _knew_ it was because they thought she was dirty. Even she didn’t want to be in her own body anymore so she completely understood how they felt.

These morbid thoughts bombarded her as she dragged herself to the shower and turned the temperature to the hottest setting. She sat under the burning spray, feeling numb even as it hit her face. It wasn’t enough. She didn’t feel clean at all. She hadn’t felt clean since she’d woken up in the hospital and she didn’t think she would again. She could still feel them inside of her, their rough hands squeezing her hips and her breasts, leaving marks and bruises and tearing her soul away as they defiled her. She could feel them in her hair, yanking her backwards as they took her from behind, ignoring her screams and pleas to stop or to kill her but just to not let her suffer anymore. And as much as she wanted to just end her life so that she wouldn’t have to feel so miserable, she was too much of a coward to bring herself any unnecessary pain. Maybe if she was doped up and numb enough to where she wouldn’t know what was happening did she think she could do it.

When her skin started to turn red she turned the water off. She pressed her forehead against the tiled wall, tears still rolling down her face. Perhaps she deserved this. Maybe this was her punishment for keeping Katherine’s sister a secret from her. She just didn’t see the point in telling her now that Elena was dead. Maybe Jeremy’s guilt would drive him to tell them but she knew she would never utter a word of Stefan’s secret. The little voice in her head suggested that she didn’t want to tell her Mistress about Elena because of her irrational spite towards her association with Vicki Donovan.

She didn’t know how long she stayed there but noticed that the sun had long since risen by the time she went back to her bed. Curling her sheets around her damp skin, she stared blankly out the window as she tried to make her mind go blank. She was tired of thinking, tired of feeling pain and helplessness and disgusted in her own skin. She was exhausted and if she were really honest, she wanted something to take the edge off.

 _No_ , she said desperately as she sat up. _Don’t think about that, don’t go there, please don’t._

Sitting up, Caroline raked her fingers through her hair, her nails digging hard into her scalp as she tried to get a hold of herself. But once she started down that trail of thought it was hard to stop thinking about it. One line of cocaine, one hit of crystal would be all she needed to keep her nightmares of her attack at bay. All she needed was to leave the house undetected for a few hours until she scored something. She would probably have to work for it somehow but at this point she was desperate. She just needed _something_.

Before she could talk herself out of it she’d gone to her closet and fished out a silver and black Victoria Secret sweat suit bedazzled in rhinestones Katherine had gotten for her. Without putting on underwear, she slipped it on, found a pair of flats under her bed and marched to the door. She threw it opened and jumped when Katherine gave a startled cry and jumped backwards as well.

“You scared me _chéri_ ,” she said breathlessly as she smiled. Caroline froze, blinking rapidly as she tried to think of a good excuse. The musky scent of her perfume infiltrated her nose.

“Why are you dressed? Where are you going?”

“I—um…out. I’m going out,” she cleared her throat as she stuffed her hands in the small pockets of her sweatshirt. “I just want some air.”

“You want air,” Katherine repeated with a frown. “You have not left your room in weeks.”

“I know. That’s why I need to go.”

Katherine’s frown deepened as she stared at the blonde. Her usually bouncy curls were hanging limply from her head, her skin was pale like the snow that was currently falling over Nivea and she looked absolutely terrified of being caught leaving. She had the sinking feeling that Caroline was doing more than going _out_ , because going out didn’t make one look guilty.

“I will come with you.”

“I need to go alone,” Caroline side-stepped her. “I’ll be fine on my own.”

“I do not think that is a good idea—”

“I’ll be fine alone,” she snapped with a dark look. “You don’t have to hover over me all the time, okay?”

She started towards the stairs, determined not to let the brunette stop her but sure enough—

“What did I do to make you so angry with me?”

She froze, wincing at how devastated she sounded. Her hands clenched into fists at her side as she turned around, her face void of any emotion.

“What’re you talking about?”

“This!” she gestured between them. “This… _thing_ you are doing now! You will not speak to me, you will not even _look_ at me unless it is a time where our family is present! You act as if everything is fine in front of them but the moment we are alone you do not even want to be near me! Why are you shoving me away Caroline? What have I done to upset you?”

Katherine’s voice ended on a somewhat hysterical note that unnerved her. It took her a few moments to respond as she swallowed past the lump in her throat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered as she turned around. She had taken all of two steps when Katherine screamed at her again.

“Do _not_ ignore me!” she stormed closer. “You will not live in _my_ house and treat me as if I am some kind of nuisance that is not worthy of your time!”

Shock flooded the blonde as she turned around again, this time with her mouth slightly dropped. Katherine had _never_ spoken to her like that unless it was for a scene. She stood frozen as she came closer and closer until they were only a few feet apart. Caroline could feel her anger and she shrunk back slightly.

“I understand that something terrible happened to you and that you are coping with is as best you are able. I cannot apologize enough for not getting to you on time, for failing you,” she said painfully. Caroline winced visibly when she saw her tearing up. “But I am trying, so hard, to be here now and it hurts that you are doing this to me and to Damon. You know how much we love you.”

Caroline snorted before she could stop herself.

“What? You do not believe that is true?”

“If he loves me so much then why hasn’t he been here?”

Katherine opened and closed her mouth at a complete loss of words. She hadn’t thought Caroline would notice, or care, about his absence considering she was the one who told him to leave her alone.

“You don’t have to say it. He got tired of waiting for me to snap out of this so we could all fuck the way we used to. He misses his _girls_ ,” she laughed bitterly. “I guess Vicki Donovan will be my replacement but I guess you won’t mind that. You looked cozy with her the other night.”

“What are you—that is not true at all!” Katherine gaped at the blonde in shock. “Where are you getting these ideas _chéri_?” 

She kept her eyes to the floor, her cheeks burning in embarrassment and anger. Tears started welling and it increased her anger.

“He would never replace you in his heart. He is only helping Vicki through a hard time darling,” she said softly. “She is a victim like you and Jeremy.”

“There’s only one way Damon Salvatore helps people cope,” she snapped. “He helped me cope too remember?”

She turned for the stairs, this time not stopping as Katherine called her name.

“This will not work. I will not let you push me away!” she insisted as she followed. “You cannot keep isolating yourself and dealing with this alone!”

Caroline threw the door open and ran right into Damon standing outside. He caught her arms and steadied her as she nearly fell and her heart jolted as she stared into his concerned blue eyes she found so captivating. She thought back to when she first met him and thought that he had the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen and how they were able to look like the sky and the ocean, two different shades of blue, at the same time.

“You okay Care?” he muttered. She jerked out of his embrace and bumped into Katherine behind her. When her arms went around her waist her breath caught in her throat and her heart pounded out of sheer fear. She felt trapped. The shaking in her hand grew worse and she felt lightheaded from all the contact she was receiving. Contact that she wanted as much as she feared.

“Come back inside,” Katherine breathed against her neck. “Please darling.”

She made a noise of distress and pushed Katherine away. She held her hand up to stop Damon when he reached for her again to steady her and frantically took off towards the front gates, ignoring the calls of her name. How it was that she could fear them and want them so much at the same time was beyond her, but it was something she couldn’t deal with right now. Especially with the way her body was screaming at her to go back so they could love her the way they used to.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

“What was that about?” Damon asked softly as he closed the door behind him. Katherine kept her eyes to the floor.

“We…it was a disagreement,” she sniffled, bringing a hand to wipe her eyes. On instinct, he reached out to touch her and pulled back when he remembered the boundaries he’d set. Boundaries he was now slightly starting to regret.

“She is acting so irrationally,” she mumbled as she dragged herself into the living room. Damon followed behind at a distance to keep from doing something stupid.

“She was raped, Kat. Irrationally is part of the trauma,” he murmured. “You were the same way when we first met.”

Katherine snorted but didn’t disagree. It was difficult seeing Caroline go through the same pain that she did, knowing that it was slowly destroying her and that she could do nothing to stop it.

“I suppose you are here to see Tyler?” she raised her head and he felt guilty at the tracks of tears on her cheeks.

“Yeah.”

“He should be in his room.”

She took her hair out of its loose bun and left for the bar. Damon was sorely tempted to go after her, knowing that she was going to drink her sorrows away. Whatever happened between her and Caroline had shaken her. He couldn’t deny that he was a little caught off guard by the blonde as well, as it was the first time they’d made contact in weeks.

Shaking his head, Damon jogged upstairs to Tyler’s room. He knocked once as he called for him and frowned when he received no answer.

“Ty?” he pushed the door open. The blankets of his bed were pulled up and folded over and random piles of clothes and marijuana containers sat on the table and the floor. Damon’s frown deepened when he didn’t hear the water running for the shower and when he didn’t see him or Jeremy laying on the chase lounges outside.

“What the hell…?”

A white piece of paper caught his eye on the dresser when he turned around. Snatching it up quickly, his eyes skimmed the words once and he took off for the stairs.

“They’re not here,” he announced to Katherine as he barged into the bar area. “They left this morning.”

Katherine turned to him with raised eyebrows, “Left for where?”

“Venice.”

“Why?”

“He just said they needed to get away,” Damon tossed the note onto the bar beside her martini glass. “Why the hell would they leave on Christmas Eve?”

Katherine blinked, startled by his words. In all the madness they’d been dealing with she’d forgotten about the holidays.

“Perhaps Jeremy is having a hard time coping,” she suggested softly. “I do not know what else it could be.”

The blaring ringtone of Damon’s cellphone made them both jump.

“Hello?” he answered quickly.

“Damon, where is my son?”

“I was just wondering the same thing,” he frowned at Carol’s voice. “He won’t answer his phone?”

“No! I’ve been calling him for two hours and no one has picked up at the house and he won’t answer his cell or his work phone!”

“He left a note on his dresser saying he and Jeremy went to Venice.”

“What? It’s Christmas Eve!”

“I know,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, mentally bemoaning having to deal with his best friend’s irate mother. Katherine looked away to hide her smile.

“Well if you talk to him or Jeremy, tell one of them to call me. Honestly, I don’t even know why he has a phone if he won’t answer it,” Carol grumbled.

“Will do,” Damon muttered before hanging up. His somewhat good mood had rapidly gone hill and Tyler and Jeremy’s disappearance was only helping the headache he was now feeling.

“I am sure they are fine. Perhaps they really needed alone time,” Katherine murmured as she reached over the bar and grabbed the bottle of rum. She passed it to Damon as he silently found a clean shot glass and poured himself a drink.

* * *

“Do you think they know we’re gone?”

“Yeah. My mom’s called like twenty times.”

“You should call her back. She’s worried about her baby,” Jeremy smiled. He laughed when Tyler rolled his eyes.

“I’ll call her back tomorrow. I don’t want to think about her on my wedding night.”

“That’s a good way to sour the mood; thinking about your mom while you’re trying to get naked with your new husband.”

Tyler grinned as he squeezed his knee. He looked around the small villa, his heart still hammering from their impromptu plane ride to Venice. It was the first place Jeremy thought of when he’d asked him where they should be married and he knew there was nowhere else suited for the purpose.

“What do you think they’ll say?”

“They’ll probably be surprised we did it. I don’t think we ever mentioned it to anyone.”

“Mr. Lockwood, Mr. Gilbert, a merry Christmas Eve to you both. My name is Sergio. It is a pleasure to meet you both,” a man in a sharp designer suit exited the door on the right in front of them. Jeremy and Tyler shared a look when they shook his hand. Was it really the day before Christmas?

“Have you completed all the documentation?”

“Yes,” he handed him the clipboard. “We can’t thank you enough for taking us last minute.”

“ _Non c'è problema!_ That is what eloping is, no?” he chuckled and they felt more at ease. “Follow me.”

They followed him through the door hand in hand. Tyler was glad he decided to forgo wearing a full on suit and settling for just his black button down and black pants as they stepped in to the hot office. He looked at Jeremy and smirked inwardly as he realized that he was wearing a white button down.

A receptionist greeted them with a warm smile and he couldn’t help grinning back, his smile threatening to split his face. He couldn’t believe they’d pulled off something so ballsy. The knowledge that they’d more than likely pissed off half of their family didn’t do much to hamper his happiness either.

“Right this way,” he held the door open to them as they went through. Tyler’s mouth dropped slightly when he took in the small garden surrounded by orchids, roses and wildflowers. Candles were their only lights as they lit the short walkway to the beautiful arch covered in purple, blue and white flower trellises.

“Oh wow,” Jeremy breathed as he saw the fountain standing a few feet from the arch spouting water in a perfect line into the air. “This is beautiful.”

“I hope this is to your liking?”

“Very much,” Tyler grinned at Jeremy.

“Would you prefer your photos to be taken now or after the ceremony?”

“After,” they said simultaneously. They shared a laugh at their eagerness.

“Very well,” he smiled at them before shouting through the door in Italian. The receptionist came seconds later, smiling widely and speaking quickly with her Italian tongue.

“Maura is very excited to be present for another Christmas Eve wedding. Her seventh one today,” he laughed as she took her place on one side. Another man dressed in a suit, this one wearing a gray shirt and red tie, closed the door on his way out and stood by Maura.

“Maura and I will be the witnesses. Father Leoni will be performing your ceremony,” Sergio gave them an encouraging smile.

“Mr. Lockwood, Mr. Gilbert,” Father Leoni shook both their hands. “Will you be changing your last names?”

“To Lockwood,” Jeremy said softly, his voice failing him as he realized, _really_ realized what they were about to do. He was so caught up by the romantic notion of eloping that he hadn’t taken the time to realize what eloping meant. Now that he was here, he felt nearly breathless as they stood under the beautifully decorated arch with a priest three feet away from them ready to make their union official; their _permanent_ union.

It wasn’t that Jeremy didn’t want to marry Tyler because he did, wholeheartedly. But when he thought about marriage, he tended to think about those that ended in nasty divorces. What if he and Tyler were headed down that path? What they came to despise each other after they said _I do_ and wound up divorcing months later? What if—?

“Jeremy,” Tyler was pulling him off to the side and rubbing his hands over his arms. “You okay babe? Do you want to do this?”

“Yeah—Yeah I—” it was difficult to get words past the desert his throat had become, “I’m just…are we doing the right thing Ty?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if we hate being married? What if we fight all the time?” he blurted out. “We never talked about marriage and—and I know we’re living together but there was…it wasn’t anything permanent but we do this and you’ll be stuck with me forever or until we get a divorce which I would never want but it could go that direction—”

“Jer,” Tyler chuckled, cutting off is babbling. “Do you love me?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then we’ll love being married,” he kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry so much. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

Jeremy nodded, biting his lip. Tyler grabbed his hands in both of his.

“I already know that divorce will never be an option for me. Whatever problems we have, I know we can work them out. But I want this, you and me, always.”

He kissed him softly, “We’re going to fight, that’s inevitable. But that’s not stopping me from marrying you and you shouldn’t let it stop you either. I would rather fight with you and make-up every day then fall in love with someone else. I only want to love _you_.”

Jeremy pulled him into a tight hug, feeling infinitely better when he heard Tyler’s words. He knew that he would never be the one to suggest a divorce and he prayed that the same was true for Tyler. Every day he spent in Tyler’s arms would override any fear of a fight or misunderstanding they would have. And as long as they worked hard at their relationship, they would be okay.

“Are we ready to begin _signori_?”

Tyler nodded and they took their place under the arch. He kept his eyes on Jeremy’s coffee orbs that seemed to be softer with the candle light flickering on his skin. Their hands were gripped together so tightly that it would’ve taken a force of nature to rip them apart.

Father Leoni’s warm Italian accent washed over them like water. Through his entire sermon Jeremy kept his eyes on Tyler’s. His words resonated with in him though they were spoken in another language. They made him feel calmer and more confident that he and Tyler were doing the right thing for themselves.

Since Tyler had woken up from his coma months ago, he hadn’t allowed himself to take time and come to terms with Tyler’s feelings for him. He was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for Tyler to realize how neurotic he was and that he really didn’t feel as he did for him. And now, standing here and staring into the earnest brown eyes that he felt could see into his soul, he knew that Tyler’s declarations of love were every bit as true as his own. He’d risked his own life to save him from Mikael. He would risk heaven and hell and everything in between to keep him safe and to make him happy. If he really hadn’t loved him, then they would not have been here now.

“Do you, Jeremy James Gilbert, take Tyler Michel Lockwood to be your lawfully wedded husband in sickness and in health, in good times and bad for the rest of your days?” Sergio translated softly.

“I do.” His voice came out steady and sure. Tyler gave him that smile that set his stomach tumbling.

“And do you, Tyler Michel Lockwood, take Jeremy James Gilbert to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad for the rest of your days?”

“Always,” he grinned.

“ _Molto_ _buona!_ Father Leoni has declared you both husbands. Please,” he held out his hands to them.

Jeremy could barely hear anything else around him as Tyler pulled him in for a long awaited kiss. He cupped his face, pressing himself closer as Tyler’s arms wrapped around his waist. His thumbs stroked his cheeks with all the love and tenderness he felt towards him, never wanting the moment to end. This kiss was different from their other ones. This one set his soul ablaze and fueled his already burning passion for the man his arms even more. Tyler’s scent of woods, beach and something else unique flooded his sinuses and he groaned into his mouth as he pulled him closer, desperate for more.

Jeremy vaguely remembered signing off on the rest of their documents and posing for their pictures for memorabilia. The next thing he knew, they were in a long, sleek black car taking them to their hotel in the Italian countryside and rolling around in the backseat trying not to crumple any of their forms as they continued their first kiss as husbands. He gasped with a breathless moan when Tyler managed to unbutton his shirt halfway while sucking on his neck as if he were trying to draw blood.

“Were almost there,” he panted with a laugh as he tried to push his eager husband away.

“I want you _now_ ,” he growled as he took his earlobe into his mouth. His rough hands roamed Jeremy’s chest, thumbs brushing over his nipples and the younger felt himself shudder at the contact.

The car came to a stop and it startled them. The driver told them they had arrived and they hastily put Jeremy’s shirt back on before the door was opened. A man with a full beard and wide smile welcomed them to their quaint hotel, which Jeremy now realized was a cute bed and breakfast near one of the Italian lakes.

As the driver went to flag someone down for their luggage, he and Tyler went to check in. Jeremy smiled at how adorable it was. It was almost like a hidden cottage in the forest with all of its groups of flowers and neatly shaped plants. Iron railings intertwined with green vines and purple flowers lined the staircase and the second story landing. Combinations of flower trellises surrounded a small man-made pond near the check in desk. The brown shutters were opened slightly to let in some light from the stars but candles and wall lamps scattered variously provided most of the lighting.

A woman greeted them with a wide smile and took the through the back towards their own personal cottage. It sat near the bank of the river covered with off-white adobe, flower boxes underneath windows that had the same brown shutters and trellises that covered the walls near the front door. It was opened already as the hotel staff placed their luggage in a closet by the front door.

“I hope you have a happy honeymoon. Merry Christmas!” she said cheerfully before leaving them alone. Tyler gave the two men dealing with their luggage $20 each before shutting the door.

“You like it?” he turned to Jeremy inspecting the kitchenette.

“It’s amazing,” he smiled as he opened the cabinet and found dishes. He felt Tyler press against him and moaned.

“I thought it would be better for privacy. We can be as loud as we want,” he purred in his ear before kissing the skin under it. His hands traveled up Jeremy’s chest to his improperly buttoned shirt and he popped them open again.

Jeremy quickly turned around and smashed their lips together, shrugging out of his shirt before wrapping his arms around him. He pushed Tyler into the table, causing it to move slightly from force, and nearly ripped his shirt off while Tyler struggled with his pants. Tyler gasped when he nipped and licked at his neck and he managed to shove Jeremy’s pants down halfway before he was suddenly swinging him into his arms and stumbling to the bed on quaking legs. Jeremy was dumped onto the plush bed unceremoniously and reached for Tyler in the next moment, hands moving quickly to get him out of his pants as Tyler kissed every bit of his skin he could possibly reach.

Tyler had to move away to step out of his pants and Jeremy moaned at the loss of contact. Instead of moving back to his position he dropped to his knees and pulled Jeremy’s pants all the way off. He kissed the inside of one thigh and bit the other and then Jeremy was pulling him back up and on top of him as they climbed completely on the bed. They kissed with a fire and passion that consumed them so thoroughly that nothing could’ve interrupted them in their moment.

Bare skin pressed against bare skin and excited them both. Jeremy thought he would come just from the contact of Tyler’s hot, heavy body on his. He’d wanted this so much for so long that he was afraid it would be over before it began. With each new place their skin touched the room seemed to grow hotter and clouded his thoughts to where he couldn’t even think straight.

“Slow down,” Tyler pulled away when Jeremy wrapped his legs around him and thrust up at the same time, putting their cocks in direct contact. He gripped the base of his and squeezed. He shut his eyes, determined not to look at Jeremy’s flushed face that looked so _damn_ sexy and he had to squeeze himself harder when the image appeared behind his closed eyelids. At this rate, he’d be lucky to get inside him without busting early.

Jeremy sat up and wrapped his arms around Tyler’s waist. He pressed his lips to his neck before teasing the skin with his teeth. His hands roamed his overheated skin, from his shoulders to his neck to his ass and they squeezed and Tyler groaned at a pitch he didn’t know he could reach. Jeremy took the opportunity to shove his tongue back into his throat. He growled when Tyler’s hands fisted his hair and angled him so that he could take control of the kiss. He bit his lip, smiling when Tyler growled in pleasure and bit his lip back.

His hands slipped down to his ass and squeezed hard once before pushing him forward. He pushed until their cocks were reunited and sliding against the others in a steady rhythm. Tyler gasped as he pulled away for air, hips jerking of their own accord. He pulsed in Jeremy’s hand when he grabbed him.

Wordlessly, Jeremy lay on his back and scooted as close as possible towards Tyler as he spread his legs wide. Tyler fit nicely between them as he reached over to rummage in the tiny space of a drawer for anything to help ease his way in. He smirked when he pulled out a small bottle of unscented oil with Italian writing on the label. It was as if the hotel staff read his mind.

He used three quarters of the bottle lubing his two fingers and then Jeremy’s puckered entrance. Though he was nearly desperate to be inside Jeremy’s warm body he slowly slid a finger in, taking his time to prepare him and relishing in his moans. One particular one he let out when he brushed against his spot made his cock throb.

Jeremy’s fists clenched and unclenched in the sheets and his head tossed from side to side as he took three of Tyler’s fingers and they stretched him. There was a slight sting though it wasn’t very painful. When Tyler’s fingers stroked over his prostate with just enough pressure to drive him insane his hands flew to the head board and squeezed it until his knuckles turned white. They suddenly pressed into the bundle of nerves dead on and he cried out hoarsely.

Tyler couldn’t wait any longer and pulled Jeremy closer to him around his waist. He lined himself up quickly and groaned when he pushed forward and let the head sink in past the ring of muscle. Jeremy cried out a curse or two when he pushed even further and he had count his breaths to focus on not coming right then and there. Jeremy’s mouth fell open in a silent cry as Tyler pulled out slowly and pushed back in just as slowly. His teeth marked his neck as he buried himself inside the tight heat sucking him in, feeling breathless at how tight he was.

When Jeremy gasped out how his cock was filling him he couldn’t help but smirk. He sighed his name so desperately as Tyler started pulling out that he had to pause to regain himself. He was already so hard he was ready to come and if he hadn’t been waiting for this moment for three weeks he would’ve let go, regardless of how embarrassing it would be for him. But he was determined to have Jeremy enjoy this. He wasn’t going to come until he did, although by the way this was going it wouldn’t be long.

“So good,” Jeremy panted his exact thoughts when he pushed in again. Hearing it voiced so salaciously made him pause to regain his composure. It irritated his impatient and he thrust up to gain more friction. Tyler choked on his spit and used the hand not holding him up to force Jeremy down.

“Stop,” he warned when Jeremy glared at him.

Jeremy licked his lips and raised his hips slightly. Tyler growled in warning.

“Don’t move. I mean it.”

“Do something about it,” he taunted. Tyler’s eyes flashed in challenge. His hand slid from Jeremy’s hip to his chest to just under his throat and he spanned his fingers across it as he pushed down.

“Don’t get smart or I’ll gag you.”

He cringed as he said it, wondering if it was too soon to introduce bondage into their relationship again. But instead of shrinking back with fear, Jeremy’s eyes darkened with lust.

“Maybe you should,” he panted as Tyler thrust back into him, hard. Tyler’s breath hitched as he registered what he said. He licked his lips at his provoking glare and felt torn. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t want to figure out what to use for a gag and he sure as hell didn’t want to move. He cursed himself for not bringing any toys.

“Maybe tomorrow,” he grunted as he pulled out and slid back in once more. Before Jeremy could protest Tyler did it again, this time hitting his spot dead on. He cried out in pleasure when he pressed into it harder on the next thrust. His hand found its way to Tyler’s damp hair and he buried his fingers in the luxurious strands as his other hand gripped tightly at his shoulder.

Tyler thrust in slowly one more time and it was all he could take. Heat pooled in his stomach and his toes curled as he came hard with guttural cries. His nails were digging into Tyler’s back, sending him over the edge as he thrust in again and came buried deep inside him. His teeth sank into the pale skin of Jeremy’s neck like a vampire to keep from crying out loud.

They rolled to the side with harsh pants, unable to find the strength to unwrap themselves from each other. Tyler’s tongue danced along the deep bite mark on his neck and soothed it, tasting salt and sweat. He could feel Jeremy still shaking as his body released tension.

“I needed that,” Jeremy laughed breathlessly. His abdomen was still having spasms and he didn’t know if they would stop anytime soon. Not that he minded.

“It was over too soon,” Tyler chuckled against his ear.

“It was still amazing,” he stroked his face. “I missed this a lot.”

“How did we go so long?” Tyler murmured.

“I don’t know. But we’re never going that long again,” Jeremy turned his head so he could catch his lips in a kiss.

“You were right.”

“About what?”

“I love being married.”

Tyler laughed out loud as he rolled onto his back, pulling Jeremy on top of him.

“I knew you would.”

Their lips met again, this time gently. Jeremy’s hips slowly rolled down onto his and he rolled up to meet him. He already wanted more. He wanted to spend at least a week doing this, rediscovering each other’s bodies and making love the way they used to. With the way Tyler was clinging to him, it was a possibility.

“I need it again,” Tyler rasped in his ear as he sat up, his half hard cock brushing Jeremy’s leg. He gripped his hips and guided them so both their cocks rubbed together. Two thick fingers found their way to his entrance and Jeremy sat on his knees for Tyler to slip them in. He sat back and groaned when they wiggled inside him, just brushing his spot.

Watching Jeremy ride his fingers made Tyler harder faster than he thought possible. When his cock was leaking he helped Jeremy guide his hips down. He nudged his opening for a few moments as they adjusted before he was sinking down and enveloping Tyler in that wet warmth once more. The billionaire bit his lip hard as he disappeared inch by blissful inch inside him and couldn’t help but moan.

Jeremy’s fingernails dug into his shoulders as he used him to move up and down. His hands rested against his quivering thighs and stroked small circles into them absently as he watched his face. Jeremy was biting his lip hard and moaning through it. Sweat rolled down the sides of his face and to his neck but he neither noticed nor cared.

When he felt his end coming, a longer time away than the first, he gripped those slender hips again and guided them to roll back and forth against him. His head fell back when Jeremy started rotating on him and gave a groan he was sure could be heard outside. Tyler’s hands moved of their own accord to Jeremy’s ass and kept a firm grip on it as he continued to guide him.

Jeremy couldn’t focus on anything other than Tyler in him, around him groaning his name. His own groans were given in response as those wicked hands moved him. They occasionally rotated him in a way that his cock was pressed right into his spot like a screwdriver. Tyler suddenly thrust his hips up, slamming right into his prostate and he cried out.

The bed rattled and shook and slammed into the wall as they worked each other. After two more pumps of his hips Jeremy fell apart in his arms and he shot in long strings all over them. Listening to him made his own release hit faster and he slammed Jeremy’s body down on his one more time before he was arching his back and coming hard for the second time that night.

He fell backwards as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He laughed for no reason as his body hummed in happiness. Waiting three weeks for this was damn well worth it. It felt as if all his nerves were on fire and sensation was overloading his brain.

He caught Jeremy’s arm and pulled him from his position on his side into his arms. Jeremy moaned tiredly as he rested his head against his shoulder and a hand on his abdomen. Tyler threw one leg around him tiredly as he laid his head in the crook of his neck.

“We should’ve gotten married sooner,” Jeremy breathed as he stared at the ceiling dazedly.

“Way sooner,” Tyler chuckled as he kissed his temple. The sheets were starting to stick to him but he felt too good to move. He could feel the subspace feeling start to creep over him, the one he usually felt after any kind of sexual encounter with Jeremy. It was the best kind of high he’d ever had.

Jeremy turned onto his side and ran a hand through his damp hair. Tyler could feel the warm metal of his wedding ring brushing against his scalp and he grinned sleepily with his eyes closed. Jeremy nipping gently at his ear was the last thing he remembered before falling into a deep sleep.

He tried to ignore the first shrill melody of his cellphone but it was just irritating enough to make him open his eyes. Blinking drowsily, he was surprised to see that it was morning. They’d finally managed to sleep through a whole night without any nightmares. Tyler chuckled when he thought about sex being the answer to their poor sleeping habits.

The phone went off again and he sighed as he stood, cursing when the cold air hit his naked body. Jeremy hummed lightly in his sleep before letting out a loud snort as he turned over and he chuckled. Tyler nearly ran to his bag to get his phone, sighing more when he saw it was his mother.

“Hello?” he said quietly.

“Tyler! Where the hell are you? Are you okay?” Carol shrieked. Her piercing voice caught him off guard.

“We’re fine. We’re in Venice.”

“It’s Christmas Day Tyler! What the hell do you mean you’re in _Venice_?”

“We needed some time to…figure things out.” It wasn’t a complete lie.

“When are you coming back?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“What do you meanyou don’t _know_? Did you forget that you have an entire company to run? And what about your family? We’re supposed to spend the holidays _together_!”

Tyler sighed heavily, “I’m sorry, Mom—”

“No you’re not Tyler! You always make these kinds of decisions and you never think about how they’ll affect other people! You didn’t think about me, and how I wanted to spend Christmas with my son who survived _two_ open-heart surgeries in one year! You didn’t think about Bonnie and Abby who probably wanted to spend Christmas with Jeremy! You don’t think about anyone but yourself!”

That stung him.

“Mom, I’m really, really sorry,” he sighed as he sat at the small table in the kitchenette area. “I wasn’t thinking about the holidays. I just—we weren’t sleeping and everything was hard to deal with so we thought we could use a vacation. I didn’t mean to upset you or anyone else.”

There was silence on the other end. Tyler had to look at his phone to make sure she didn’t hang up on him.

“I know you didn’t. I just wanted us to be together as a family,” she said dejectedly. “We’ve been through so much these past few months. I just thought it would’ve been nice.”

Pressing the phone to his forehead in frustration, Tyler silently cursed himself for what he was about to say.

“I’ll buy you a ticket out here. You can fly out today or tomorrow and we can spend Christmas with you. I know it’ll be late but it’s better than nothing.”

“You’re only saying that to make me feel better.”

“No I’m not. I want to spend Christmas with you and I know Jeremy will too,” he looked to the ceiling as if questioning himself. “I’ll buy the ticket right now and you can fly out.”

“Oh alright. I’ll only stay for a couple days,” her tone became much happier.

Tyler wanted to be mad at her for making him feel guilty enough to invite her but he merely told her he’d see her soon, got online and found the first plane ticket he could out to Venice. He really wanted to spend Christmas, New Year’s and the foreseeable future fucking Jeremy in every manner he could think of but he supposed they had the rest of their lives for that. He thought the same for the holidays but he wouldn’t tell his mother that.

He texted her the name of their hotel before throwing it back in his bag and going back to bed, surprised to see Jeremy awake. He gave him a small smile and he gave him a resigned one in return.

“When’s she coming?”

“Sometime tonight I guess,” he sighed as he lay on his stomach and faced him. “I know it was just supposed to be us right now. I’m sorry.”

“She’s your Mom Ty,” he chuckled as he scratched the nape of Tyler’s neck. “I knew she’d be upset.”

“Should we tell her?”

“It’s up to you. She’s your mother.”

“I just wanted this to be ours for a while, you know?”

“It still can be. We can tell her not to tell the others or we just don’t say anything at all,” Jeremy murmured. Tyler sat up on one elbow.

“I never asked you what you wanted.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you want to have everyone at our wedding? Did you want to tell Bonnie and Abby that you were getting married? I made this completely about me and I didn’t even ask you,” he finished quietly as he looked away, his mother’s earlier words making his stomach settle unpleasantly. He was selfish, he always had been, and he couldn’t change it no matter how he wanted to.

“I’ll tell them eventually. I didn’t really want anyone to know either,” Jeremy smiled sheepishly. “Honestly, I didn’t want to have a ceremony in front of everyone.”

“Why?”

He shrugged bashfully, “Nerves. I knew I was going to have to spill my heart about how I felt about you and it was embarrassing to me, I guess.”

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed. Everyone already knows how you feel about me,” Tyler teased as he pinched his side. “But I understand where you’re coming from.”

“What’s going to happen when we get back home? People will know if they look through public records.”

“We don’t have to change anything. You can go on being Jeremy Gilbert to everyone else and Jeremy Lockwood behind closed doors. No one has to know.”

Jeremy sucked in a quick breath as he agreed. He was glad Tyler understood his need for privacy. Tyler reached up to kiss him and he smiled into his lips.

“So since she’s coming today, we should make the most of our time,” he murmured as he left a trail of burning caresses down his body. He slipped between Jeremy’s parted legs and slid lower and lower, hands stroking his sides as he kissed the insides of his thighs. His morning wood brushed his chin and he heard Jeremy start to say something above him, already sounding breathless. He cut off his words when he took him into his mouth and they ended on a loud groan.

* * *

Matt frowned when Vicki came through the door around 9 PM with noticeably wet hair and a bright smile. It was the fourth time she’d been gone at Damon’s the whole day and he wondered if he should be worried. He nearly had a heart-attack when Damon called one night and told him she was spending the night, his mind envisioning them hooking-up and making him cringe.

“Hey!” Vicki beamed at him. Next to him, Rebekah lifted her head from her magazine to return it.

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“We ordered pizza. It’s on the counter.”

“How’s Damon?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“He’s fine. Did you know he has a heated pool _and_ a Jacuzzi? He has like six if you count the Jacuzzi tubs in his bathrooms. They feel _amazing_ Matty. We should get one.”

“Maybe.” Matt tried hard not to envision how she would know that.

“That does sound nice. It will be even nicer when my feet are swollen and my back aches from carrying this child,” Rebekah gave him puppy dog eyes. Matt tried to look annoyed but found himself caving.

“I’ll look into it.”

“What’s this about a Jacuzzi?” Kol came around the corner in baggy sweats, no shirt and holding a piece of pizza in his hand. “I’m all for this idea.”

“Of course you are,” Matt chuckled. “You know you’re the one that’s buying it. All of Mikael’s money went to you.”

“It went to Rebekah too! She’ll get more use out of it since she’s pregnant, like she said, so she should buy it.”

“I gave that money to charity,” Rebekah reminded as she went back to her magazine. “I wanted nothing to do with it.”

“ _All_ of it?” Kol’s eyes widened comically.

“Yes all of it. I want nothing to do with his blood money.”

“And how do you know about the Jacuzzi tubs in Damon Salvatore’s bathrooms?” Kol gave Vicki a sly look. “Something you’d like to share Ms. Donovan?”

“I spent the night once. I had my own room and everything,” Vicki laughed. “Nothing is going on between us Kol. We’re just friends. I’ve told you guys this.”

“That charade isn’t going to keep up for long. Do you know who Damon Salvatore is?” Kol chuckled. “It’s only a matter of time. I haven’t yet met a woman that’s been friends with Damon Salvatore that hasn’t fucked him.”

“We just like hanging out, that’s all,” Vicki said with a slight frown.

“Shut it Kol. You’ve never met any women that have slept with him,” Rebekah snapped. “Stop making her feel bad about spending time with him and worry about your own love life.”

“But this is just so much more entertaining. It’s like a game of ‘will she, won’t he?’ Or will they?”

“Get out of here,” Matt threw a pillow at his partner. He dodged it with a laugh and walked up to his bedroom. The house they were living in now was in the center of District 2 in a gated community. Two stories, four bedrooms and there was even a fountain out front. It was a definite plus from where they were hiding out in New Haven and now their house had style, which thrilled Rebekah greatly.

“So tomorrow we should do something. Go to the movies or…something,” Matt finished lamely as he watched his petite sister grab two slices of pizza from the box.

“That’d be fun. But don’t you have to work?”

“I’ll just call in or something,” Matt smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I want to spend the day with you.”

Vicki grinned. Rebekah rolled her eyes but none of them noticed. Matt’s true intentions for taking the day off to spend with his sister couldn’t have been any more obvious.

“You’re doing it again,” she murmured when Vicki left for her room, eyes never leaving her magazine. He gave her a quizzical look.

“Doing what?”

“That prying thing you do.”

“I’m not trying to pry…” he trailed off when Rebekah shot him a pointed look. “Okay, maybe a little …but it’s Damon Salvatore! You know the kinds of reputations he and Tyler have!”

“And now Tyler is happily settled with Jeremy. Damon is as every bit as capable of settling down if he wants to.”

“Not with my sister,” he protested vehemently. She laughed and closed the magazine.

“If your sister is who he wants to settle with then you’ll have to accept that. Their feelings have nothing to do with you.”

She ran her hands over his strong, tense shoulders. Matt tipped his head back with a sigh.

“I just got her back…now Damon’s taking her away,” he grumbled petulantly.

“You sound like a child,” Rebekah laughed as she kissed his cheek. She crawled into his lap and straddled him, kissing him fully on the lips.

“They’ve been hanging out for three weeks and nothing has happened that’s made her upset. It’s been good for her. It could also be good for him since he lost his brother.”

Matt sighed heavily, “I know it’s been good for her…I just want her to come to me too. I’m her brother. I want to be there for her.”

“And she will let you in when she’s ready. But until then,” she kissed her way to his earlobe and took it in her mouth. When she started sucking lightly he groaned.

“Take me to bed,” she whispered. He didn’t need to be told twice.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Please enjoy and thank you for reading!

Alexi Romanov threw back another drink before slamming the glass down on his desk. His assistant stood firm though he could tell he was quaking with fear internally.

“So, you are telling me that Carol Lockwood, the mother of the man who murdered my brother in cold blood, is to become the new mayor of Nivea?”

“Y-Yes sir.”

“And that Lockwood is _not_ to be held accountable at all for Adrik’s murder?”

“N-No sir. They are looking to take Elijah Mikaelson and everyone that worked for him, as well as his customers, to court instead.”

“How utterly ridiculous. I thought the country was founded on the fairness of all men,” Alexi grumbled. “No matter. We will get justice our way.”

“When shall we start?”

“Now,” he grinned wickedly as he pulled out a manila folder from his drawer. “I think it is time the world knew about all of the terrible things Tyler Lockwood has done.”

He handed the folder to his assistant. “Make sure that the right people see the evidence inside.”

His assistant took the folder and walked out the room without a backwards glance. Alexi chuckled to himself as he poured another glass of Vodka.

* * *

“Tyler this place is _adorable_!” Carol gushed when she stepped out of the taxi. “How did you find it?”

“Internet. We didn’t want to stay at a regular hotel,” he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “Merry Christmas Mom.”

“Merry Christmas,” she beamed. “Where’s Jeremy?”

“Taking a shower. Let’s get you settled.”

He took her bags to the front and helped her check in. The villa she was staying in was across from theirs, something Tyler greatly appreciated. He would’ve absolutely hated sharing a room with her while he was trying to spend as much time naked with Jeremy as possible. He laughed at the way she delightedly took in her cottage, a similar fashion to the one he shared with Jeremy but with different colors and a slightly smaller bed.

“Why didn’t you want to stay at a regular hotel?” she asked as she sat at the table. He shrugged.

“More privacy. I don’t know how many people here know about what happened in Nivea.”

“That’s true,” she sighed. “I should tell you: Elijah’s trial is going to start soon. You both will need to be back for that.”

“When?”

“Couple weeks at the latest. Andie told me they want it done as soon as possible.”

“Will Jeremy have to testify?”

“You all will.”

Tyler let out a heavy sigh and his body sagged into the chair across from her.

“They’re going to make us relive that night again.”

“I know. But you were the one that hired Elijah as your butler. He lived with you for years Ty. You of all people know him the best.”

“Apparently I didn’t,” he snorted derisively. She grabbed his hand, her smile one of sympathetic sadness.

“It’s going to be hard Ty but you have to tell them your side so we can put him away for good.”

“I know. I just don’t want Caroline and Jeremy to relive every detail of what they went through. It’s private and it’s painful and if they have to relive it in front of a courtroom full of people they’ll be humiliated,” he shook his head. “Please don’t make them go through that Mom. They’ve been through enough.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said softly. “But I can’t make any promises Ty. You should prepare Jeremy for that possibility.”

Tyler swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing unpleasantly. It wasn’t fair that the two people who suffered the most in his family were going to have to suffer again, this time with an audience. And if he were being honest with himself, he didn’t know if he could sit and listen to every horrific detail of what they went through. There were things too painful for Jeremy to talk about and too painful for him to hear.

He could already see the media coverage now if they were to tell their story. It would play on the news for days; they would be harassed wherever they went, something neither of them was used to. They would constantly be asked questions about how they were doing, how they were coping, how they were moving on with their lives and no one would give two shits about how their intrusiveness was keeping them from doing just that. Their every move would be watched, every word recorded. People would make awful assumptions about them. Some would even say they deserved it for being the willing slaves of two wealthy people. They would tarnish and drag their names and their relationships through the mud and destroy what little self-confidence they had left. Reliving this entire ordeal would destroy what little progress they’d made so far. As much as he wanted Elijah in prison, he didn’t want to sacrifice Jeremy and Caroline to do it.

“You don’t have to tell him now. But you also can’t stay here indefinitely,” her voice brought him out of his morbid thoughts. “I just wanted to warn you.”

He really wished she hadn’t. “Have you told Katherine yet?”

She nodded, “She looked as happy about it as you do now.”

He imagined his sister looked worse. He cringed as he thought about how Caroline took the news.

“I’ll go get Jeremy,” he forced a smile to his face as he stood. “We can get lunch in town.”

He hurried out of the hut, rubbing his face with his hands. This new information threatened to ruin his honeymoon but he wasn’t going to let it. Lest he let Jeremy know what had him upset.

When he entered his villa he could hear Jeremy humming happily to himself and the anxiety disappeared significantly. He stood in the doorway of the bedroom and watched him pull jeans over his perfect ass before picking up the towel to run through his messy brown hair. The sight of his back, defined from hours of strength training and sparing but not too muscular made his cock twitch in his pants. He wished his mom could’ve come another day.

“Oh hey, I didn’t hear you come in,” he turned around, smiling with flushed cheeks and a bright grin. “Is your mom settled?”

“Yeah. She’s right across from us.”

“Do you think she’ll hear us when we…you know.”

Tyler grinned at his bashful tone.

“When I fuck you so good you scream my name? She might.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes but never denied it. He raised his hand and showed Tyler his gold wedding ring.

“Should I take it off?”

“You better not,” one of the billionaire’s dark eyebrow’s rose. Jeremy chuckled at his tone.

“You know what I meant.”

“If she notices, she notices. They were all going to find out eventually.”

“True.”

They walked out the villa hand in hand and met Carol in between their two villas. She greeted Jeremy with a kiss to each cheek and a joyful Merry Christmas before they went to the front and had the concierge call for a taxi. The quaint town their bed and breakfast was settled in was quiet and simple, everything they needed at the moment.

When they were seated in the small restaurant they received no stares of recognition or excitement. It seemed as if no one there knew who they were and they were beyond grateful.

“So what made you two decide to come out here on Christmas Eve?” Carol asked after they ordered. “It seems a little sudden, even for you Ty.”

Tyler shrugged, “We just wanted to get away. Everything was so…suffocating at home.”

“Damon’s been trying to contact you.”

“I saw,” he cringed. “I’ll call him back later.

“He doesn’t look like he’s been sleeping much. Neither does Katherine,” she said sadly. “Amelie has been really worried about her.”

Jeremy and Tyler shared a sideways glance as Carol discussed exactly what they wanted to get away from.

“But I assume that’s why you left,” she said as if reading their minds. “I don’t blame you really. And then the media has just been horrid about the whole ordeal. But everyone seems to be positive about me becoming mayor. I haven’t had one really scathing remark yet.”

“You’ll make a great mayor,” Jeremy grinned. “You’ll protect the city better than anyone else.”

“Definitely better than that douchebag before,” Tyler grumbled as their appetizer came; a plate of warm rolls with vinegar and oil to dip them in.

“Pass me a roll,” Carol reached out her hand. Tyler grabbed the roll with his left and passed it to her. She started to thank him but her voice died when she saw the ring on his finger.

“What is that?” she demanded. Tyler blinked, momentarily startled by her question.

“What?”

“This!” she snatched his hand back and inspected the ring.

Tyler sighed. He’d been hoping that she wouldn’t notice but his mother had always been really perceptive. She still wore her wedding ring and her engagement ring to this day, so she’d easily recognize one. He and Jeremy shared another look, this one telling all.

“It’s the real reason we came out here,” he said wearily. Carol blinked at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“You and Jeremy eloped,” she said, completely mystified. They nodded slowly. Nothing happen for a few long moments, then Carol covered her face with her hand as she burst into tears.

“Mom, don’t be upset,” Tyler started as he handed her a napkin. She took it quickly and covered her face with it. Jeremy became alarmed when she let out a loud whimper.

“We’re really sorry! We didn’t mean to upset you!” he started weakly but Tyler cut him off.

“We’re not sorry at all,” he shot Jeremy a pointed glare. “We really just wanted this to be between us. I asked him to marry me when we were in the hospital and we were going to tell you guys but everything’s just been so—”

“You haven’t upset me in the slightest,” she interrupted as she dabbed at her eyes. Her black mascara and eyeliner was smeared under her lids, giving her the appearance of a raccoon. “I didn’t mean to cry. I’m sorry.”

“You’re not mad?” Tyler asked incredulously. She shook her head with a watery laugh.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m disappointed I didn’t get to see my only son’s wedding. But it’s just…you’ve grown _so_ much Tyler. You’ve gone through so much and—and I really didn’t ever think you would be happy again after your father…” she took a shuddering breath. “I’m just so happy that you found someone that makes you happy to be alive. That’s all your father and I ever wanted for you.”

Of all the things Tyler was expecting for a reaction to their marriage, that certainly wasn’t it. He was embarrassed when he felt his eyes heating up with emotion and a lump growing in his throat. Being 17 and wanting to end his life because he couldn’t take anymore seemed like a different lifetime. His mother had told him to hold on, that things would get better and she hadn’t been wrong. She was _never_ wrong.

“And Jeremy,” she turned to him with wet eyes. “I know that you haven’t had the easiest past either. If I had experienced half the things you have I would’ve given up a long time ago. But you’re strong and you’re brave and you don’t give up hope and you’re just such an inspiration to all of us. Tyler made the best decision of his life when he walked away from Rebekah to be with you.”

“Thanks Mrs. Lockwood,” Jeremy said thickly.

“I suppose you could call me Mom if you wanted to,” she laughed as she took one of his hands in her free one. “I fully support your decision. Everyone else will too, although Bonnie and Abby might not be happy about you doing this without telling them.”

“I know,” Jeremy sighed, though he never lost his smile. “I think they’ll understand.”

“Katherine won’t be much better,” Carol laughed. “I can already hear her complaints.”

Tyler groaned, picturing his sister throwing a tantrum and cursing him in French loud enough to disturb their whole neighborhood. It was entirely too easy for him to envision.

“So can I.”

The rest of lunch went smoothly. Carol was in a noticeably much happier mood after their confession and Tyler was thrilled she wasn’t upset. For him, his mother’s support was especially important as she was active in his life and he was secretly afraid she wouldn’t have approved of his and Jeremy marriage.

Later that evening Jeremy and Tyler came home to a bottle of champagne and two bowls of strawberries waiting for them. A note wishing them a happy honeymoon was left in between them.

“This was nice of them,” Jeremy said happily as he put both bowls and the bottle in the small refrigerator.

“Bring those in here,” Tyler pointed to the chocolate covered strawberries as he stripped off his shirt and pants. “We never had dessert.”

Jeremy chuckled as he followed his husband’s movements and stripped down to his birthday suit. He watched as Tyler set up their bath, even going so far as to lighting candles around the tub before getting in with him. The warm water made him moan as heat seeped into his skin.

Tyler pulled him closer and brought their lips together in a gentle kiss. Jeremy sighed as he straddled his lap, his hands gripping his smooth shoulders. Tyler’s fingertips danced along his back soothingly as they indulged in a passionate yet subdued make-out session.

“Your mom seemed happy,” Jeremy murmured when they parted. The lights from the candles around their bathroom made his skin shimmer in a way that he nearly glowed from it.

“She didn’t take it as badly as I thought she would.”

“Do you think she’ll tell them?”

“I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t matter now,” Tyler stared at the smile taking over his face. “You want to tell them.”

“I kind of do, yeah,” Jeremy’s hands roamed over his damp skin, massaging the back of his neck and his shoulders. “Whenever we decide to go back, we should.”

Tyler immediately felt a pang of guilt when he thought about what his mother told him this morning. This was the best Jeremy had been in three weeks and he didn’t want to ruin it by telling him he was going to have to tell his tragic story in front of a judge and jury. He already decided he was going to fight it; he didn’t want Jeremy or Caroline to relive that hell. That wasn’t fair to them and it would damage their recovery for certain.

“What?” Jeremy frowned. He shook his head.

“Nothing. Just thinking I want to stay out here for a while.”

“Me too. I didn’t have nightmares last night,” Jeremy said softly. “A break from Nivea and everything in it was what I really needed.”

“Then we’ll stay. Maybe we’ll find a nice cozy villa to buy.”

Jeremy eyes lit up and he grinned.

“Really?”

“I’ve always wanted a house here,” Tyler kissed his neck. “We can start looking tomorrow if you want. My mother can help us.”

“It would be amazing if we could…stay permanently.”

Tyler pulled back to look at his face, “You don’t want to go back?”

“I mean I do eventually,” Jeremy said quickly, though he looked guilty for saying it. “I just…Nivea is home and everything…it’s just so many things have happened to me there and…the majority of them were bad.”

“We don’t have to go back if you don’t want,” Tyler murmured. “I can run the company from anywhere in the world. I can just appoint someone to stand in for me in Nivea.”

“I wouldn’t want you to give that up.”

“I’m not giving up anything. I already don’t go to the office,” he chuckled. “Working from home is fine. I might have to fly to Nivea every once in a while for a business meeting but that’s what we have Skype for, right?”

“You’d really…consider living out here?” Jeremy breathed.

“If you wanted to I would be all for it,” Tyler cupped his face with one hand. “Living in the city is overrated anyway. I think I could get used to this country life.”

“You don’t think you’ll get bored? There’s no clubs out here,” Jeremy grinned as he reached behind him and grabbed the bowl of strawberries. He popped one into his mouth, his tongue tingling when the juice flooded his mouth with the hint of chocolate.

“I think I’ll survive. Plus I could always go to Venice if I really want,” Tyler watched him chew it and his eyes darkened in lust.

“Are they good?”

“Mmhm,” he hummed as he stuck the rest in Tyler’s mouth. He grabbed another one as Tyler spit out the green stem at set it back in the bowl.

“Why would you stick it in with the uneaten ones?”

“Where should I put it? On the ground to get wet?”

Jeremy’s eyebrow arched, “It’s already wet with your spit.”

“Are we fighting over a bowl of strawberries?” he chuckled. The frown that was taking over Jeremy’s face disappeared and he laughed.

“We’re not that old married couple yet.”

“But we will be,” Tyler reached up and took Jeremy’s bottom lip with his teeth, moaning at the taste of strawberry and chocolate. It made him yearn for toys and whipped crème. Right now he could tell that Jeremy would happily surrender to him and he wanted _so_ badly to dominate him.

Jeremy shifted on him and his cock stiffened. He’d suppressed it for as long as he could but Jeremy was wet and naked and slippery but he was warm and firm in his arms and the way he rocked on him—

His cock disappeared between his cheek and he groaned. Jeremy ground against him and he thrust back lightly. Jeremy’s hands were roaming from his chest to his neck to his face and back down to his shoulders making him tingle.

Their breathing grew labored as they continued rocking. Small splashes of water washed up on the white marbled floors from their movements. Their lips were glued together as they tried to dominate each other. Moments later Tyler was lifting Jeremy up and thrusting his fingers into him, catching his moan and biting his tongue at the same time.

“What happened to gagging me?” Jeremy panted in his ear when he’d settled on his lap with his cock inside of him.

“It’ll happen,” he promised with a kiss to his neck. He was happily surprised by the question; now he had to get creative and find what he could use for makeshift toys. Jeremy squeezed around him and he refocused on his husband riding him.

Lavender scented water splashed over the edge of the tub as the younger used it as leverage to move up and down. It splashed onto their faces occasionally when they became too vigorous with their actions. Their lips had to part in order for them to breathe but they kept their foreheads together, eyes locked as they raced towards completion.

Tyler’s eyes fluttered shut and toes curled under the warm water as he came. He bit his lip and groaned through it, the sound reverberating off the walls. He stuck his hand underneath to grasp Jeremy in his palm and he stroked his head quickly until he was bending to stuff his face in his neck and biting down hard as he finished.

They panted against each other’s damp skin as they caught their breaths. Tyler placed soothing kisses against Jeremy’s shoulder. His lips skimmed over the dark bruise that was left by the bullet that was meant for his head and ran his tongue along it gently. Jeremy shuddered in his arms.

“It healed well,” Tyler mumbled as he pressed kisses against it.

“Just another scar to add to the list,” Jeremy whispered. Tyler kissed him hard before pushing him out of his lap so he could get out of the tub. Jeremy frowned in confusion.

“C’mon,” Tyler laughed as he found a towel on a rack by the door. “Don’t you want a massage?”

He chuckled more when Jeremy sprang from the tub. He dried off quickly and nearly sprinted to their bedroom, lying on his stomach with a pillow under his head. Tyler found a bottle of lotion in the drawer of the nightstand on Jeremy’s side and straddled him in the next moment. He poured the lotion into his hand and lathered it down his back and over his shoulders. Silence enveloped them as he worked out his muscles.

“What’re you thinking about?” he murmured when he worked out a knot in his lower back.

“About how lucky I am that my husband likes giving me massages,” Jeremy mumbled with a small smile. Tyler chuckled.

“I’m glad you appreciate it.”

“I do. More than you know,” Jeremy turned his head more so he could look at him. “You don’t know how much I truly appreciate that you’re in my life Ty.”

Tyler bent to kiss his hair, “Yes I do. You show me all the time.”

Jeremy made a noise in the back of his throat as he turned onto his back.

“I would be dead if it weren’t for you,” he murmured with an unreadable expression. “You’ve saved my life so many times and risked your own when doing it.”

“Jer—”

“Let me finish,” he murmured as he sat up and wrapped his arms around Tyler loosely. “From the time I was nine my life hasn’t been the best. I hopped around in foster care, I barely had enough money to make ends meet when I was on my own, I was terrified of everything and everyone and I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life that way until you stopped those men from beating me to death. You didn’t just save my life. You gave me hope Ty. You gave me a family. And there is nothing I can do or any amount of times I can say thank you for it to equal how beyond grateful I am for everything you’ve done for me.”

Tyler pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, the words making his heart swell.

“I know you are,” he whispered against his lips as he kissed him over and over. “You don’t ever have to thank me for that Jeremy.”

The fell against the pillows with their lips connected, the kiss growing with heat and desire. Their bodies slid together in an impassioned dance as they tried to convey what they were feeling without speaking. Heat surrounded them, nearly drowned them until Tyler sat on his knees and reached on the floor for Jeremy’s discarded shirt from earlier. He wrapped it in his hands until it was skinny like a rope before securing Jeremy’s wrists to the headboard.

Jeremy’s eyes darkened significantly with lust as Tyler kissed down his body and he could do nothing but moan for more. He felt a huge surge of love and trust for him as he tenderly loved every inch of his body, as he took him into his mouth and brought him over the edge, as he brought him closer and closer to heaven with each kiss and each caress. He’d been afraid he wouldn’t be able to enjoy domination and submission again because of Mikael and he was happy that he wasn’t able to take this away from them. This was what he could give Tyler, the only thing he felt he could give to show just how much he appreciated him, how much he wanted to make him happy as he’d made him. He loved giving Tyler everything he was because he’d given him that and more.

His husband untangled from him for a few seconds and disappeared towards the kitchen. Jeremy frowned but it quickly disappeared when he saw the bottle of Champagne and the other bowl of strawberries, these plain. He popped open the bottle and took a little sip, moaning at the taste. “Open your mouth.”

A new surge of lust washed over him. He did as he was told and allowed Tyler to pour a little of the bubbly substance into his mouth. Some of it dribbled down his chin and onto his chest.

“Good?”

“Yes,” he panted. Tyler did it a few more times before setting the bottle on the nightstand and the strawberries beside them. Dipping his head he lapped up the excess Champagne from Jeremy’s glistening skin, reveling in his moans.

Tyler reached on the floor for his green striped shirt he was wearing earlier and folded it over to make a blindfold. Once it was secure over Jeremy’s eyes he took the strawberry and traced the bottom of it over Jeremy’s swollen lips. He opened his mouth to taste it and Tyler took it away, making him groan in disappointment.

“Wait,” he admonished, his voice becoming husky and dirty. Jeremy immediately stilled with his mouth still open. Tyler traced the red fruit around equally red lips before he commanded him to bite into it. His cock twitched when he did and red juice joined the Champagne dribbling down his chin.

“You want more?”

“Yes,” Jeremy’s voice was breathless as he arched slightly.

“Tell me.”

“Please, Tyler,” he nearly whined.

“You forgot something important,” Tyler smirked as he trailed his fingers to Jeremy’s rosy nipple. “Do you know what that is?”

Jeremy made a noise in the back of his throat as he pinched him.

“Please Master,” he groaned. “Give me more.”

Tyler’s eyes fell closed at the lust that one word sent through him. It felt so _damn_ good to hear it again.

He grabbed another strawberry and the bottle of bubbly, feeding the fruit to his husband as he poured the cold liquid down his chest. He lapped it up before he poured more on his stomach, some of it gathering in his belly button. Jeremy’s stomach had spasms under his tongue as he slurped and licked and sucked his way to his erect cock that was straining with the dire need to be touched. Instead of fulfilling his wishes, he poured Champagne on his balls and watched as he writhed beneath him.

“Master!” he whined as he thrust his hips. Tyler smirked before he dipped his head and licked it off. Jeremy’s cries of pleasure were music to his ears. He kept pouring the Champagne over Jeremy until it was empty and their sheets sticky. Jeremy was so high-strung by the time Tyler entered him that he came on the first stroke, crying out loud enough for anyone passing by to hear as he came in long white strings all over himself and Tyler as his husband sunk balls deep into him.

“Jesus Jeremy,” Tyler gritted his teeth as he squeezed tight enough around him to make him see stars. His fingers clawed into the sheets, wrinkling them in his palm as he fought not to join Jeremy over the edge.

“Oh my God,” Jeremy panted as he fell against the sheets. “Oh my _God_ Tyler.”

Tyler pulled out slowly and slammed back into him roughly, pulling a coarse yelp from him.

“Master,” he reminded as he grabbed his chin. “Don’t forget or I’ll spank you.”

Jeremy whimpered in pure want at the words. His body shook around him as he sucked him in. Tyler grinned.

“You like when I spank you.”

“ _God_ yes,” Jeremy shifted his hips. “I love it when you spank me.”

“Such a naughty boy you are,” he tugged on his flaccid cock. Jeremy’s whimper made him smirk.

Instead of pounding into him hard and fast like he wanted he took his time, making sure each stroke hit his prostate and he drew those breathless, desperate cries from him. His cock slowly came back to life until it was erect once more. As he grasped it, Jeremy gave a loud cry and it started leaking immediately.

“Always so hot for me,” he murmured, sweat dripping into his eyes. “I’m the only one who can touch you and make you instantly hard, aren’t I?”

“Yes!” Jeremy’s voice was raspy. Tyler could tell from the lack of babbling that he was starting to fall into sub space. He picked up the pace of his thrusts, his balls feeling ready to burst with their release. He pushed into Jeremy relentlessly not allowing the boy any time to catch his breath as he unraveled into the shaking mess sub space reduced him to. By the time he came he was hoarse and barely left without a voice.

“Jeremy,” Tyler murmured as he untied him from the headboard and removed the blindfold. He chuckled when he saw Jeremy’s eyes closed and that the skin surrounding them was wet, indicating he’d been driven to tears of pleasure. His breathing was heavy and deep; Tyler watched his chest rise up and down for a moment before kissing his forehead and getting up to grab a washcloth.

He wiped them both down before snuffing out all the candles in the bathroom and sliding beneath the covers next to his tired lover. Jeremy snuggled into his side immediately. Tyler could feel the tension leaving his body as he shook.

“It’s alright,” he soothed with a kiss to the forehead. He closed his eyes and let out a small grin at the progress they were making. Living in Italy would be worth it if that was what it took to bring Jeremy to his old self again. His last thought was if there was a way to get whipped crème delivered to them before falling asleep.

* * *

Vicki gasped as she jerked awake from her vivid nightmare. Breathing heavily, she put a hand to her chest and felt her heart pounding from adrenaline and fear. Looking at the clock through the wine glass that was sitting on the nightstand, she saw it was a little after three in the morning.

She didn’t remember falling asleep here, so she assumed Damon had brought her up after the movie they were watching was over. She was so exhausted from many nights of waking up like this in sheer terror only to find that those nightmarish days were over. She was no longer in captivity, never would be again and she needed to start remembering that. But the memories constantly plagued her, taunted her with vivid images of being forced by these men. When she was with Damon it didn’t happen so much, but there were days when she just couldn’t help but think about what happened in the past ten months. If only she hadn’t missed the bus that night to get home from work. If only she waited for the next one.

The cruel laughter of her captors and attackers rang in her ears and she shook frantically as she threw the covers off her sweltering body and headed for the shower. Stripping, she left the clothes on the floor and threw herself in the shower, turning the water to just a little too hot. A sigh of relief escaped her as the water hit her body and she used the bath sponge with too much shower gel to lather into her skin. After every nightmare, showers seemed to be the only thing that could make her feel good again. She was grateful that no one minded that she seemed to shower two or three times a day.

She dried off using one of the crème colored towel sets Damon had left for her and slipped her pajamas back on before venturing out into the hallway. The hallway of Damon’s massive mansion was dark but dim lights made it clear enough to walk. Vicki stopped numerous times to stare at all the paintings on the wall, some from artists and places she’d never heard of. Every day she discovered something new about her new friend and every day she was amazed at how different their lives were. Had it not been for this terrible tragedy, she would have _never_ met Damon Salvatore. She would’ve never even dreamed of being so close to someone like him.

It was when she was passing a room on her right when she heard it. A low moan, a woman, almost as if she was pleading with someone stopped her in her tracks. A moment later she heard it again, this time breaking off into a cry.

Alarmed and unsettled, Vicki ignored her instincts that told her to run and crept closer to the door, surprised when it opened when she turned the handle. She entered the room she’d never seen before, wondering how she could’ve missed it. It looked more like a sitting room or parlor as there were only couches, a coffee table and decorative plants in it but it was fabulous none the less.

There were rooms that Damon never showed her and she had been wondering why for a long time. As much as she liked Damon there was something…different about him. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. As she looked around the room, she couldn’t understand why he’d feel as if he had to keep this a secret from her. From what she could tell it was nothing out of the ordinary.

She was brought out of her admiration by a smacking sound followed by another hoarse moan. This time a man’s voice—Damon’s voice—followed. Vicki’s brow furrowed as she crept towards the door and pressed her ear to it carefully, trying to hear what was being said. She was frustrated when she couldn’t gather much. What the hell was _happening_ in there?

Suddenly there was a loud _crack_ like the sound of a whip and a whimper. Vicki’s widened as the woman’s pleading started again and before she could really think it through, she threw the door open…

And was presented with the sight of Damon Salvatore’s naked ass.

Vicki choked on her own spit and stopped in her tracks and her eyes grew large on what she just walked in on. The woman she had been hearing was kneeling in the middle of the floor with her hands tied spread apart wearing nothing but black leather boots and a black leather blindfold across her eyes. Her frazzled blonde hair was shoved against her face and a fat rubber ball attached to leather straps was shoved in her mouth. Vicki’s confusion grew when she saw clothespins on her nipples that were growing red with each second and the metal chains that sat heavy on her waist like a decoration.

Damon turned to face her and she flushed when she caught sight of his manhood.

“Vicki?” he questioned with furrowed brows.

“I…I’m so—I just thought I heard—!” She turned around quickly. “Sorry, I’ll—sorry.”

Before Damon could utter more than her name she fled the room, bringing the door shut behind her. She didn’t stop until she was back in her own room again, door locked. Heart pounding, she slid down to the floor and buried her fingers in her hair. What the _fuck_ was Damon doing in there with that woman? Why the hell was she tied up like she was some slave? Even more confusing was that Damon looked in no way ashamed at having been caught that way. Didn’t he realize how that looked to _her_? Someone who had been in captivity for the last ten months? Was he some secret kind of sadist that liked inflicting pain on women he tied up?

“Holy shit,” she muttered to herself as she collapsed on her bed and reached for her wine glass. Guzzling the last mouthful of red she got under her blankets and pulled them over her head, trying hard to get the images of what she saw out of her head. Who the hell was this man? She’d been spending the night here _two to three times a week_ and she had no idea this was happening under the same roof. A part of her wondered if he let her stay because he planned on chaining her up next. An unpleasant shudder ran through her at the thought.

A knock on the door made her jump, “Vicki?”

 _Shit_! She didn’t want to talk to Damon right now, not while she was still processing.

“I know you’re awake in there.”

Vicki slowed her breathing to make it quieter, as if he could hear from outside the door. Damon knocked again and she prayed he would go away.

“I know I freaked you out, but I promise you I’m not some kind of pervert,” he said quietly. “Just let me explain?”

She kept breathing slowly with her eyes closed and tried to tell herself not to give into his pleading voice. She would give Damon a chance to explain, just not now. Not when the vision of that woman in chains was still so vivid to her.

“Whenever you’re ready to talk then,” he said before leaving. Vicki waited ten minutes before pulling the blankets off of her body. The darkened ceiling provided little comfort to her thoughts as they raced. Vaguely, she wondered if Jeremy knew about this.

When she calmed enough to close her eyes she pulled the blankets back over her body and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

She woke around noon the next day and dragged herself from the bed into the shower again. She left the borrowed pajamas on the made bed and crept quietly downstairs, not entirely sure what she would say to Damon if she saw him. She still wasn’t ready to talk to him about what she saw but she knew that if there was one person she could talk to, it would be Jeremy.

“Hey.”

Vicki jumped when she heard Damon’s voice behind her. She hadn’t realized she had walked into the dining room. He was dressed in a blue button down that made his eyes pop and his dark hair was damp from a shower. Vicki couldn’t help but think how gorgeous he was.

“How’d you sleep?”

“I…fine,” she said slowly. A tense silence took over them.

“Vicki, about last night—”

She shook her head quickly. “I didn’t mean to just walk in. I should’ve knocked.”

“We should probably talk about what you saw,” Damon said slowly. “You looked pretty freaked.”

Vicki shook her head quickly again, “I was just…surprised. I didn’t know that I would see…that.”

“I know how it might seem to you, considering you were…held captive,” Damon spoke as if she hadn’t said anything. “But that…it’s just not what you think.”

“Do you even know what I think?” she quipped.

“I can tell by the look on your face. You saw her in chains and all you could see was yourself in a similar position.”

She said nothing and looked away.

“Vicki—”

“I don’t know what to think of what I saw,” she said finally. “The only time I’ve seen someone in chains is when they’re being held against their will and you were doing that here in your _house_ Damon. That’s just…”

“It’s not something you’re used to. I get it,” he said. “Before you condemn me to being some sadistic pervert, just let me explain.”

“Does Jeremy know about this?” she demanded. “Does anyone know that you do this?”

“Yes.”

“Do they…do it too?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“What about your brother? Can you tell me if _he_ did?”

Damon sighed, “Why does it matter?”

“Because I’m trying _really_ hard to understand this! I’m trying to understand why I saw a naked woman chained in the middle of the floor of a room last night!” she cried. “Have you been doing this every night I’ve been here?”

“No. Last night was the first time in a while that I’ve dominated someone.”

“Dominated?”

“It’s what we call the lifestyle. BDSM: bondage, dominance, sadomasochism.”

Vicki quickly sucked in a huff of air. She’d heard of it before, she figured everyone practically had. But she’d never been exposed to it like this. It was something she never envisioned she would experience.

“It’s not like I pull random girls off the street to bring here to chain up and have my wicked way with. We have an agreement where they tell me what they want me to do.”

“Is this like a side job or something? Do they pay you for this?”

Damon shook his head.

“Then why do you do it?”

“It relaxes me. I have…control issues and this allows me to be in control on my terms. It helped my brother too.”

“Your brother had control issues too?”

“He was a schizophrenic. This helped bring him back to reality.”

Vicki’s eyebrow rose, “How?”

He was silent for a moment.

“It gave him a sense of stability. He never had much when we were younger. He didn’t have support or…anyone he could rely on. Having a dominant changed that. He always had someone he could talk to about his delusions that wouldn’t think he was completely insane and they would act them out when needed. This gave him the support he needed to fight his illness.”

“And you thought having someone put your brother in chains and blindfolding him would be a good form of therapy?”

“It wasn’t my idea. When we first ran away I got a job at an insurance company that just opened up. Mason was my manager and I had to disclose to him why I was unable to provide him with my social security card that I left at my house. He hired me anyway and allowed me to miss work when I needed to if something happened with Stefan. He was the one who introduced this to us when Stefan was first diagnosed.”

“It doesn’t seem ideal for someone who’s gone through the abuse your brother has,” Vicki said skeptically. “Weren’t you afraid it would make him worse?”

“Completely. For a while I thought it had,” he sighed. “My brother’s first real psychotic break happened back when we were still living with my father. He’d…been sharing him among his friends and he couldn’t cope. When we ran away the delusions and hallucinations he would see when he was being raped would take over his mind and he’d make up these stories about things that never happened with our family. He thought our mother was still alive and hiding from spies in Switzerland and he thought the things he did with our father were some kind of special game they played because it would help bring her home and kill the spies. He said some of the craziest things I ever heard and I was freaked because I didn’t understand what the hell was wrong with him.”

“The first time I tried to make a case against my father they interviewed Stefan and his story was so scattered and disorganized that none of them believed he was molested, just insane. When Mason started helping him the story became even grander; he thought our father was the king of this lost world and that the…games they played were to help him become more powerful. And then one day he just didn’t talk about it anymore. I asked him about it and he told me he knew that it wasn’t real, that our mother died of cancer when he was three and that our father was using him as her replacement.”

“So he got better?”

“He became stable. There’s no getting better from schizophrenia. He struggled with it until he…died,” he swallowed heavily.

“So was Mason his…boyfriend or something?”

“He was his Dominant. He was someone that he could talk to about anything without facing any judgment. He nurtured him. He paid for his medications and got him the therapy he needed. The medical bills and Stefan’s meds were so expensive that it drained all our funds and I couldn’t afford it. There were days I had to choose between feeding my brother and getting his medicine. Mason made sure he was kept in a stable environment where all of his needs were met. He helped him determine what were delusions and what was reality. He helped him through every issue he had and he did it by dominating him.”

“Did they ever…?” she trailed off. Damon shrugged.

“I never asked. If they did, Stefan was completely in his right mind to make that decision. Mason would’ve never force him do something he was uncomfortable with.”

“He wasn’t a minor when he and Mason…?”

“No. He was sixteen when he was diagnosed and eighteen when he started with Mason,” Damon quickly cut her off. “Stefan had always been weird but I didn’t think it was anything like a mental illness. Then I found out our father was molesting him nearly every night and thought that was the reason. When I finally realized something was seriously wrong was when I went to pick him up from school one day and I found out he never made it. Mason and I looked for him for three days before we finally found him at this run down motel known for prostitution wearing this skimpy dress and heels. The first thing he asked me when he saw us was if we could play at the park. He didn’t realize he was missing and he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten there. I still don’t know what happened to him in those three days or how he got there because his hallucinations were so intense.”

Vicki nodded, biting her lip as she digested this information. Her heart went out to Damon for everything he endured and for his brother for having to deal with so much more.

“Your control issues…they aren’t violent or anything, right?”

“No. If I’m not in control of something I won’t snap and kill you,” he snorted. “I just developed a lot of anxiety about things in my 20s when I was dealing with my brother.”

“I didn’t mean like that. I just meant…I don’t know,” she sighed in exasperation. “I don’t know _what_ to think.”

“Then research it. Ask people, ask Jeremy about it,” he suggested. “He was just as freaked out if not more when he discovered this.”

“Does Jeremy…do this?” she asked weakly. He smiled ruefully.

“That’s for him to tell you, not me.”

Vicki almost didn’t want to know the answer, but a part of her was ridiculously curious about the whole thing. The vision of the woman in chains still haunted her but still…she was curious.

“This is a lot to take in, so I understand if you’re having a hard time dealing with it,” he murmured. “I won’t be offended if you decide you need space from me. I just wanted you to understand that I don’t do this to hurt people. I do it for my benefit as well as theirs.”

“Thank you for being honest,” she murmured. “It’s not that I don’t want to stop…this, I just need time to process.

“Take all the time you need,” he forced a smile to his face. She forced one to hers too before taking her exit through the front door. She could’ve been hallucinating the bang of his fist on the table and the rather loud curse that escaped his mouth as she left.

* * *

A week later, Jeremy and Tyler were still enjoying their domestic bliss in the quite Italian countryside. Tyler felt that they had become even closer than they were before, if it was possible. Their sex life continued to progress wonderfully and Jeremy continued to sleep through the night undisturbed from any nightmares. He got his best friend and his lover back and he was more than thrilled. Getting married was turning out to be the best decision he ever made.

“What about this one?” Jeremy pointed to a house that rested on the adobe wall outside of a flower shop in town. “That’s not too big.”

He looked closer at the two story house with trellises and wrought iron gates. The house sat on land that stretched for miles, easily enough room to build five Olympic sized swimming pools and a tennis court.

“I like it,” he smiled. “Not too big but big enough for us.”

“How much do you think it is?” Jeremy frowned as he looked at the number of Euros. “I don’t know what the conversion is here.”

“It’s probably expensive. The change rate isn’t good,” Tyler chuckled. “We can ask around.”

They took one of the flyers that were held in the plastic bin underneath the posted one before taking off down the street hand in hand.

“So I was thinking we could probably find a community college here for you to go to. I know Damon had the in at University of Nivea but community college is like the same thing.”

“That would be nice. You can work at home and I can go to school,” Jeremy squeezed his hand. “I don’t know what I would major in.”

“You have time to figure it out. You can do anything you want to do,” Tyler stopped to kiss his cheek. “Just take a couple classes and see what you like.”

“You’ll love me even if I decide to major in art?”

“Yes. And I’ll be honest if it’s something you should do or not.”

“Thank you,” Jeremy laughed as he returned the kiss on his cheek.

They stopped at a café and bought pastries and coffee. The little town that they had explored for nearly a week had grown on both of them. The locals seemed oblivious to who they were and they were generally left alone. Everyone had been warm and inviting to them, save the few people who seemed to steer clear of them. Tyler wondered if it was because they were together but he could’ve cared less.

“This is from the store owner. She thinks you two are a beautiful couple,” their waitress presented them with a loaf of warm bread. “Free of charge.”

They beamed. Tyler made sure to leave a handsome tip on their table for the both of them. They made the stout woman with a red face and jolly laughter a promise they would be back before taking the short walk back to their villa.

“That was nice of her,” Jeremy murmured when they reached the fountain that stood in the middle of all the villas. “I love the community here.”

“So do I,” Tyler said truthfully. “I think I’m going to love living here.”

“Me too,” Jeremy whispered as their lips met. A cough interrupted their moment.

“Tyler Lockwood?”

They frowned when they saw four police men standing before them.

“Yeah?” Tyler took half a step in front of Jeremy.

“We need you to come with us. The police have requested your presence back in Nivea.”

“What for?” Tyler nearly snapped.

“They did not say. They only asked that we send you back.”

Tyler and Jeremy shared another look.

“He goes too. They would like to talk to him as well,” one of them pointed to Jeremy.

“What the hell is this about?” Tyler growled when they took a step towards them. “We’re not going anywhere until we find out what the hell they want.”

“Mr. Lockwood, you have a telephone call,” a man in an impeccable suit joined them. He wore a badge on the lapel of his navy suit jacket labeled so Tyler assumed he was in charge. He tossed him the phone and he caught it with one hand, quickly raising it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Lockwood, I’m going to need you to come back,” Vaughn said sharply over the phone. “You and Jeremy are wanted for questioning.” 

“What the hell for?”

“Can’t say. Just get back here now.”

He hung up before Tyler could speak another word. Jeremy watched him in confusion and slight fear.

“Tyler?” his eyes pleaded with his husband to tell them they were staying. But that was not the case.

“We’ll pack our bags,” he growled at the officers as he stormed off in the direction of their villa. Jeremy sighed before he followed too, knowing their dreams of leaving Nivea behind were now over.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I should warn everyone that this chapter might seem confusing as it is addressing some things that happened in the previous story which I purposely left as cliffhangers until now ;) You might have to go back and read it again to see what I'm talking about. If you remember everything in that story then kudos to you! :) Please enjoy and feel free to leave a review!

The plane ride from Venice was uncomfortable and awkward, a complete 180 from how they first arrived. Jeremy couldn’t keep his knee from bouncing up and down as he and Tyler sat surrounded by Italian police officers. Seeing this many grouped together unnerved him enough to make sleep elude him.

He smiled when Tyler gently placed his hand on his knee and squeezed. He sent him a reassuring smile and Tyler returned it. It was strained but Jeremy still took comfort in it.

“I think when we get back we should tell everyone,” he said softly enough for Tyler to hear but not the police. “Maybe we can have a ceremony or something.”

“Sounds like a plan. I can’t imagine this will take long to clear with the police,” Tyler grinned. “What do you think they’re going to say?”

“They’re going to be surprised probably but they won’t be mad if we decide to have a ceremony and include them, right?”

“Is that why you’re suggesting it?”

“Maybe,” Jeremy grinned. Tyler chuckled.

“You’re sneaky. But I don’t think they’ll be mad.”

“We are about to land,” one officer said to them. They stopped speaking and refastened their seatbelts.

Jeremy was relieved once they landed, having felt nauseous from the flight. The bright light assaulted him as he climbed off the plane after Tyler and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a flood of police cars before him.

“What the hell is this?” Tyler snapped when two officers approached him and pulled his hands behind roughly behind his back.

“Tyler Lockwood you are under arrest for the murders of Ryan Kentel, Paul Jenkins, Miley Jenkins, Aiden Jenkins and the unborn fetus of Miley Jenkins. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law….”

Jeremy felt his blood run cold as the police officer read Tyler the rest of his rights. The only thing that snapped him out of his trance was an officer bringing his own arms behind his back.

“What the hell are you doing?” Tyler snarled.

“Jeremy Gilbert, you are under arrest for conspiracy to murder and being an accomplice to murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law—”

Jeremy’s panicked gaze met Tyler’s frightened angry one and he struggled briefly before deeming it useless. It wasn’t as if he was being dragged to some underground prostitution ring like before. He was going to jail. Maybe to prison if they could make these charges stick.

“I—I didn’t do anything,” he mumbled as he was dragged to a car. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Jeremy, don’t say anything!” he heard Tyler scream before he was roughly shoved into the back seat. The door slammed and he jumped. His heart pounded in his ears and his breathing became labored as the realization that he was being _arrested for murder_ started sinking in.

“This has to be a mistake!” Jeremy pleaded to the officers in the front as they took off. He could see Tyler being put in the back of another squad car and he felt violently nauseous. “I didn’t kill anyone!”

“Talk it over with your lawyer,” one of them said gruffly.

“But—but I don’t need a lawyer! I _didn’t_ kill anyone!” Jeremy repeated, completely freaked at the word. “I don’t even _know_ those people!”

They didn’t answer him. Jeremy grew frustrated and hit the black plastic blocking them.

“Hey!”

“Sit back and shut-up until we get to the station!” the same officer barked at him. Jeremy glared at him but did as he was told.

The journey from the airport to downtown was excruciating. Every negative thought of what was supposed to happen now ran through Jeremy’s mind like a movie on repeat. He wondered what Tyler was facing right now, if he was being harassed or simply ignored like he was. His mind spun with _how_ the hell they had gotten arrested for murder. He’d never murdered _anyone_ in his life! He never even _thought_ about it!

His heart sank when they pulled up to the police station and the entrance was surrounded by paparazzi. He was snatched out of the car before he could even prepare himself and was assaulted by people shoving microphones in his face asking for a comment and camera lights blinding him as they flashed pictures. Heart pounding, he shut his eyes and put his head down as the police guided him by his arm into the crowded station.

The process of being booked was shorter than he anticipated, mostly because he was still overcoming the initial shock of being arrested in the first place. He was searched for weapons, fingerprinted, his information recorded and had his picture taken all within twenty minutes. When the gruff officer was done with him he handed him over to a skinner, awkward looking man that led him to a dark interrogation room. He was and thrown roughly into a chair before he removed his handcuffs and left, slamming the door behind him. Jeremy immediately stood and reached for the handle, gasping when he found it was locked. Was this some kind of joke?

“Hey!” he cried as he pounded on the door. “You can’t keep me in here!”

When no one seemed to be coming he gave up. He threw himself back into the hard metal chair and covered his face with his hands, thinking hard. The only person he ever murdered was Mikael out of self-defense and Vaughn promised he would never be charged for that. So the only plausible explanation would be Tyler. But that also wasn’t plausible because Tyler was the man he loved and his husband and he would _never_ ….

He gasped as he remembered the last time he’d seen Trevor, how he had told him that Tyler was responsible for the murder of at least 13 people in the past few years. His heart sank as he thought back to how he said he had proof that he wanted to show him right before Mikael killed him. He’d thought Trevor had been strung out but now—

“He was lying,” Jeremy breathed shakily.

It didn’t make _sense_ for Tyler to want to kill anyone other than Mikael. There was no one else Tyler hated more than the man who killed his father and tried to control his life. Tyler had anger issues and he was hot-headed but that didn’t make him a murderer. He’d had a drug problem and a stroke that made him a little irrational at times but a murderer? It was a stretch. But there was always that possibility….

Jeremy shook his head desperately, wishing that someone would come inside and distract him from thinking. But his mind constantly drifted over the _what if_ factor. If Tyler really was a murderer then being arrested was the least of his problems.

The door finally opened and a dark-haired man with light stubble dressed in an all-black suit came in with a manila envelope and a cup of water. Jeremy jumped when he sat down without a word and flipped it open and pushed the cup to him.

“I apologize for the behavior of my detectives. They don’t have much practice with dealing with people,” he gave him a wry smile. “My name is Detective Kale Messer. Do you know why you’re here?”

“This is all a misunderstanding. I _didn’t_ kill anyone,” Jeremy said firmly.

“Your charge isn’t murder. It’s being an accomplice to all the murders Tyler Lockwood has committed and conspiracy to do more.”

“I haven’t conspired against anyone!”

Messer gave him a slightly sympathetic, slightly annoyed glower. He took out three pictures and laid them across the table. Jeremy’s heart pounded when he saw the names under each of them; the very familiar names of the boys that made his life a living hell in the orphanage.

“You recognize them, don’t you Jeremy?” Messer said knowingly. “Those were the boys that you lived with in the orphanage in District 5.”

“How…how did you know that?” he breathed.

“There’s quite a bit we know about you. Your past is interesting,” he pulled out more pictures.

“This is what two of them look like now.”

Jeremy blanched at a picture above the profile of Ryan Kentel; a man lying face down clearly shot in the back of the head execution style. His hair was matted with blood and it was splattered all over the floor along with pink matter. Jeremy felt his stomach roll and he looked away.

“This is what’s left of Paul Jenkins and his family.”

Messer flipped to the pages of a man with what looked like a dozen bullet holes to his chest and his face and a woman next to him looking the same. He pulled out a picture of a little boy next. Jeremy grew pale at how he lay on the ground with his arms raised as if to shield himself and all the holes in it. Part of his head was missing.

“Oh my God,” he breathed as he turned away from the graphic images.

“She was five months pregnant when she was gunned down. That’s four people, murdered in cold blood. Do you want to know what was found at the scene of the crime?” he pointed to the little boy’s picture. “We found Tyler Lockwood’s finger print on the patio door that goes to the backyard. It took us a while to figure out what his motive would be to kill an entire family and when we discovered Ryan had a connection to him, we looked into everyone else that knew the both of them. That left you and Jared Hernandez, the only body not accounted for. Imagine how surprised we were to find that you and Tyler Lockwood have a history.”

Messer folded his hands on the desk, looking smug as he watched for Jeremy’s reaction.

“You think…I told Tyler to murder them?” Jeremy gaped. “Why would I—I would never—!”

“They beat you every day since you lived in that orphanage, which is about ten years on and off. They made your life a living hell. They were bullies. I get it Jeremy. You wanted payback and Tyler, being who he is, could give you what you wanted.”

“No! I didn’t—I’ve never even spoken to them after I was kicked out! Tyler doesn’t even know what they look like!” he cried.

“You’re saying you _never_ told Tyler about the boys that hurt you?”

“I told him what they did to me but he never had enough information to find them! I didn’t tell him anything personal about them!”

“Then what was his fingerprint doing at the scene?” Messer pointed to the picture of Tyler’s perfect thumb print pressed into the glass. Jeremy shook his head helplessly.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know,” he sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. “But I know Tyler had nothing to do with this. I know him—!”

“Are you aware that this is not the first time Tyler has been looked at for a murder?” Messer interrupted as he drilled him with a hard glare. Jeremy’s mouth abruptly shut.

“What?”

“His father died a few years back and he lost his mind. Got into drugs, did some crazy things when he was on them—”

“I know the story. He’s never been arrested for murder,” Jeremy glared at him.

“He wasn’t arrested then either because they deemed him too unstable to methodically plan out a murder. But he was a suspect until he was sent to an asylum. His name was Thomas DiRigo, a member of the very wealthy DiRigio family. Sound familiar?”

It did, but he shook his head regardless, “No. I’ve never heard of him.”

“Interesting,” Messer clucked his tongue. “Where were you the evening of May 5th?”

“I—I don’t remember. At home, I guess.”

“You guess? That’s not good enough,” Messer leaned back. “If you want me to believe you had nothing to do with this I’m going to need a good alibi Jeremy.”

“I don’t know what the hell you want me to say! I don’t remember that far back!” Jeremy barked, quickly losing his temper. “I know I wasn’t off killing anyone!”

“Was Tyler?”

“No! He was probably with me or his fiancée at the time or he was at work!”

“Who was his fiancée?”

“Rebekah Mikaelson.”

“I’ll be bringing her in for questioning then. Hopefully she can provide the alibi you both need.”

“You’re not just going to arrest her under the pretense of questioning?” Jeremy snapped. Messer chuckled.

“We had more than enough evidence to arrest you both. Tyler Lockwood was at the scene at the crime, which is not a good look for him, and you are the only link he has to the victims, which isn’t a good look for you.”

“Tyler would never kill an innocent child! I would never tell him to do something like that! He has charities that protect children from abuse so why would he kill one?”

“You tell me Jeremy. Why would Tyler kill these three people that beat you senseless when you were a child?” Messer’s eyebrow rose. “Poetic justice maybe? These men destroyed your childhood so you decided his child should be taken from him.”

“You’re sick,” Jeremy hissed as he stood from his seat. His head started to throb dully with pain and he knew he needed to get out of there. “I want to talk to Tyler.”

“Not happening. He’s being questioned and when they’re done we’ll take you both to your holding cells.”

“Let me speak to him!” he snapped. “Don’t I get some kind of privilege?”

“Why? Just because you’re sleeping with him doesn’t mean—”

“We’re married,” he snarled as he took off his ring and thrust it at him. “He’s my husband and you’re going to let me see him!”

Messer looked surprised as he tried to take the ring. Jeremy snatched it away before his fingers wrapped around it and thrust it back onto his ring finger.

“Is that why we found you in Italy? Eloping so you wouldn’t have to testify against each other in court?”

“We didn’t kill them!” Jeremy nearly yelled this time.

“The evidence says otherwise Mr. Gilbert! The evidence tells us that Tyler Lockwood was present at a scene where four people were butchered to death, including a fetus! The evidence tells me that you are the only reason Tyler would know about these three boys! The evidence is throwing your statement of innocence out the window, so unless you start giving me some answers, this isn’t going to end well for you,” Messer growled. “You think Tyler and his money is going to be able to save you from prison and it’s not. People like you always think they can get away with anything.”

“People like _me_?” Jeremy asked incredulously.

“People who pretend to be so innocent that no one would suspect them of committing even the worst of crimes. I think you use your sob story of a past to lure in alpha males like Tyler Lockwood to get them to do whatever they want because they’re so entranced by you shaking your ass that they can’t realize when you’re putting a gun in their hand,” Messer smirked. “I bet he’s not the first billionaire you’ve been with, is he?”

“You’re crazy,” Jeremy shook his head. “I’m done talking to you. Either let me see Tyler or I’m leaving.”

“You’re not going anywhere. You’ve already been charged.”

“With things I had no part in! You don’t have any proof whatsoever that I’ve murdered _anyone_!”

“We have proof that Tyler Lockwood _did_. So regardless if your charges are dropped, he won’t be coming with you.”

“If you don’t fucking let me see Tyler then you’re going to regret bringing me in here!” the rage in Jeremy’s voice was clear as he fixed the smug detective with a hateful glare. “You’re just like the officers that were in on Mikael Mikaelson’s case and I’m _done_ being manipulated by people like you!”

“Sit down Jeremy,” Messer said calmly. “Throwing a temper tantrum isn’t going to make this any better.”

“Go to hell,” he spat. “Either get me Tyler or someone in charge but I’m done talking to you.”

Messer snorted with a smirk as he gathered the pictures back into the envelope.

“Do you always act like a self-entitled spoiled brat Jeremy? Or is that something that you picked up from rubbing elbows with the rich? From what I’ve found, the only reason you even have money is because of Tyler.”

Jeremy glared at the wall, intent on not rising to this man’s bait.

“Parents died when you were nine, the city took everything they had left and threw you in a shitty orphanage where they didn’t even give a damn if you were fed every day and they stuck you with those three boys that beat the living hell out of you on a weekly basis. Kicked out at 18 and worked a minimum wage job as a bus boy at, surprise, surprise, Tyler Lockwood’s restaurant in District 4 for a year until you suddenly quit. No other job to speak of, moved out of your apartment with an extra $500 to cover rent you’ve missed, bills suddenly paid off even though you were behind, credit good as new…Tyler Lockwood just fixed everything for you, didn’t he Jeremy? Even gave you an extra $1.5 million dollars in your brand new bank account for your trouble. Tell me, how does someone like you captivate someone like Lockwood so much that they’re dishing out money left and right for you?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jeremy snapped in confusion. “What $1.5 million?”

“Don’t play dumb Jeremy. The bank account, an extension of Lockwood’s with _your_ name on it and a steadily increasing amount of money added every couple of months. You knew what he was doing. He was preparing you for this moment, wasn’t he? Was he supposed to take the fall alone and you run off to some island and live off his money for the rest of your life while he rotted in jail?”

Before Jeremy could answer the door was thrown open and Andie stormed in, looking furious.

“You damn well know better than this Messer!” she snapped as she threw her briefcase on the table. “You didn’t even give him his phone call!”

“I wasn’t aware I was supposed to. He’s already been booked.”

“Get out,” she hissed. Messer smirked at them before gathering his documents and leaving. Andie took his seat.

“What did you tell them?”

“The truth! Tyler and I have nothing to do with this!” Jeremy said desperately. “And he kept saying that Tyler’s fingerprint was found there and he just wouldn’t let up! And he started talking about some bank account with $1.5 million and I don’t know what he was talking about at all!”

“What did you tell him exactly?”

“He asked me where we were that night and I said I couldn’t remember because I can’t. That’s it. Tyler didn’t do this Andie. He would never.”

“We’ll have to give the prosecution all your medical information so that’ll contribute to your case of not remembering. How well did you know the victims?”

“Not well at all. I lived with them for years on and off at an orphanage,” Jeremy’s brow furrowed. “Andie I didn’t do this!”

“I know you didn’t. And we’re working on getting your charges dropped before arraignment,” Andie murmured as she pulled out a notepad.

“What about the charges against Tyler?” Jeremy asked. When Andie gave him a sympathetic look he felt his throat close.

“The evidence against Tyler is…it’s good enough for the prosecution to make a case Jeremy. He’ll probably have a trial.”

“What?” Jeremy gaped. “No! Tyler didn’t do this Andie! He wouldn’t kill a _child_! He uses his money to protect them so why would he kill one? That doesn’t make sense!”

“I know you’re confused Jer. And we’re working right now to see how they got that evidence but from what I’m looking at now, a judge would say yes to a trial. And given everything that has happened with Mikael and Elijah, they’re not taking chances.”

Jeremy swallowed heavily, “Is this going to mess up Elijah’s trial?”

“No, that will still happen. But there is a very good possibility that you will have to testify at Elijah’s since Tyler is now under investigation. The jury might not be open to hearing him if he’s also under arrest.”

He felt lightheaded and had to stand. Nausea built within him as he thought about telling a room of complete strangers about the hell he faced that night. A sudden thought struck him.

“Will I have to testify against Tyler?” he asked weakly. She sighed.

“You might if they call on you. Only under special privileges would you not be allowed to testify against him like if you were married or you were sick or—”

“We’re married!” Jeremy blurted, stunning her into silence. “We got married two days ago! We were in Italy when we were picked up.”

Andie blinked at him, surprise clear on her face, “Do you have a certificate?”

“Yes! It should be with all our stuff!”

“If we file it then we won’t have to testify. But that means that the document will be in City Hall and accessible to anyone. Are you alright with that?” she asked. He nodded eagerly.

“If it helps our case then yes.”

“Since you and Tyler are married you won’t have to testify. Nothing he tells you or you tell him can be admissible.”

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“I need to talk to Tyler,” he told her. She shook her head.

“You can’t right now. He’s being questioned.”

Jeremy felt his anger coming back with a vengeance.

“Andie, I want to talk to him now,” he said as calmly as he could. “I need to talk to my husband.”

“You can when they’re done questioning him,” she took out a blue ink pen. “Can you remember anything that happened around the first week of May—?”

“I want to talk to my fucking husband _now_ Andie!” he barked, startling her with the ferociousness of is voice. The young lawyer swallowed, looking at a complete loss before she put her pen down.

“Jeremy, I know you’re stressed right now but I need you to hold it together,” she said calmly. “The sooner we get through this, the faster you can get out of here.”

“They already charged me. According to them, I’m not going anywhere,” he leaned forward, staring at her with blazing eyes. “Let me talk to him, and then I’ll answer all your questions. But I’m not talking until I see him.”

Andie nodded and briskly left the room. Jeremy winced as the back of his head throbbed with dull pain and he rotated his neck to try to find some relief from the stiffness. Andie came back moments later with Captain Vaughn in tow.

“I’ll take you to see him,” he murmured with an unreadable expression. It made Jeremy’s heart sink. He thought they were _guilty_.

“I’m not a murderer,” he pleaded to them. “I know I killed Mikael b-but that was out of self-defense. I have a bad past with these guys but I would never hurt them!”

Vaughn squeezed his shoulder and offered him a weak smile.

“Follow me.”

Jeremy swallowed heavily before doing as instructed.

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

“I _didn’t_ kill them!” Tyler snapped angrily at the two detectives interrogating him. “How many times do I have to fucking tell you that?”

“Then explain why your fingerprint is on the window of their back patio!” the detective with black hair threw the same pictures presented to Jeremy onto the table. Tyler pushed them away furiously.

“I don’t _know_! I told you where I was that day! I was with Rebekah Mikaelson, her father and our contractors at the house we were having built for our wedding gift!”

“And now Mikael Mikaelson is dead, conveniently, so we can’t ask him to clarify your alibi,” his partner, a blonde haired beefcake with bulging tendons in his neck, leaned forward with his hands on the table. “Weren’t you the one that killed him?”

“No,” Tyler sneered. “Jeremy killed him out of self-defense.”

“How unfortunate he beat you to it.”

“Is there a point to these questions or are you pinning me for the murder of that asshole too?” Tyler barked, quickly losing patience. “If you want me to own up to a murder I’ll gladly do so for that one.”

“You think this is a joke Lockwood? An entire family is dead here!” black-hair yelled at him. “A 7-year-old kid had his face blown open from a bullet fired from _your_ gun!”

“No he didn’t! I didn’t kill him!” he spat. “I created charities and programs to protect children so why the _fuck_ would I kill him?”

“Your guess is as good as ours Lockwood. Did Jeremy put you up to it?”

“Are you fucking insane? Have you _met_ Jeremy?” Tyler laughed harshly. “He can barely live with himself for killing Mikael in self-defense!”

“So you’re saying he’s completely innocent.”

“Yes! And so am I!”

“What about Ryan Kentel? Are you innocent in this murder too?”

Tyler looked over Ryan’s bloody body and did his best to reign in his temper, lest he give away that he _did_ commit that murder.

“Where were you the night of April 30th?”

“At the Opera with my fiancée at the time,” he spat through gritted teeth. “You can ask the ticket woman and the hundreds of other people that were there that night.”

“We’ll keep that in mind when we check out your alibi,” the blond beefcake leaned forward. Tyler could smell the onions on his breath and he wrinkled his nose before turning away.

“Why did you do it Tyler?”

“For Christ’s sake!” he glared at them. “How many different times are you going to ask me this question?”

“As many as we need until we get the answer that we want.”

“So you’re going to railroad me into a confession?” he snorted. “You’re just as twisted and corrupt as the cops Mikael had eating out the palm of his hand.”

“Interesting you would say that, since a lot of those corrupted cops are the same ones that overlooked you for murder the first time you were brought in. You remember that?” dark haired sat across from Tyler with a stony expression. “Thomas DiRigo, the guy that was floating around the river with missing teeth, burned off fingerprints and hardly recognizable facial features because someone butchered it.”

“I do remember. I also remember telling the police that I was passed out somewhere high out of my fucking mind with ten other people that confirmed that story,” Tyler snarled. “They tried to pin that murder on me the same way you’re trying to do it now!”

“Well unlike the DiRigo case we have solid evidence you were at the Jenkins’ residence, starting with your thumbprint at the scene. And when ballistics comes back, it’ll give us everything we need.”

“Good luck with that. You can check the two guns I own and I guarantee that it won’t match,” Tyler folded his arms. The detectives shared a look.

“Look Lockwood, you’re not doing yourself or Jeremy any favors by keeping up this façade,” the blonde beefcake sighed. “Tell us what happened that night and we’ll consider taking the death penalty off the table for both you and Jeremy.”

“What?” Tyler barked in alarm. “You have _no_ evidence that Jeremy was there! You can’t do that!”

“As far as we know he’s conspired with you to commit these murders. That makes him equally as dangerous. We’re pushing life in prison for him definitely, without possibility of parole,” black haired smirked and it further agitated him. “What’s the matter? Is Jeremy too fragile for prison?”

“Fuck you. You don’t know the half of what he’s been through,” Tyler snarled vehemently. “A jury is going to take one look at him and wonder how the hell someone like him could be arrested for this.”

“You’re awfully protective of Jeremy. Is that why you had to kill the boys that made his life a living hell?”

Tyler said nothing as he looked away. A knock on the door interrupted them.

“Your time is up. Their lawyer is here,” Vaughn said as he walked in. Behind him, Jeremy was looking at him eagerly.

“ _Their_ lawyer?” the buff blonde stood. “They can’t share a lawyer!”

“They can if they’re married,” Vaughn fixed him with a glare. “You know the rules. You had your turn now get out.”

The two disgruntled detectives shared another look.

“Where’s the wedding certificate?”

“It’s being filed as we speak. I can send you a copy of it later,” Vaughn’s eyebrow rose. “Do I need to call Isabelle?”

The detectives glared at them before shuffling out of the room. Vaughn made room for Jeremy to squeeze by him and he sat down in front of Tyler fervently.

“I’ll be outside Jeremy. Get me when you’re ready,” Andie told him before closing the door. They stared at each other for a moment.

“You okay?” he asked softly. Tyler nodded.

“You?”

“I’m confused,” he said honestly. “The boys that you’re accused of killing are the ones that I lived with in the orphanage. And your fingerprint was found on the window of a family that was…murdered. I know you didn’t do this but they have evidence that says you did so please explain to me _how_ that happened.”

Tyler looked away, his gut burning in dread and a lump forming in his throat. He should’ve known that this would come back to bite him in the ass. Someone was obviously trying to frame him for Paul Jenkin’s murder but he could only think of Mikael that would go to these lengths to do it. But now Jeremy was sitting here, putting two and two together and he was terrified that he was going to resent him for the rest of his life if he told him the truth. This was the part of himself that he _never_ wanted Jeremy to see and he believed like an idiot that he never would.

“Tyler?” Jeremy’s voice wavered when he didn’t give any response. “Tell me you didn’t kill them.”

“I didn’t murder Paul Jenkins or his family. I would _never_ hurt a child or a woman, you know that,” Tyler stressed.

“What about Ryan and Jared?”

There was another potent silence. Jeremy felt his heart sinking as Tyler avoided his gaze and he felt light-headed. The silence told him everything he didn’t want to admit.

“Why?” he asked thickly as he stood.

“Jeremy—”

“Why?” he cut him off. Tyler gave him desperate eyes.

“The less I tell you the better off you’ll be.”

Jeremy let out a shaky laugh that held no humor, “So when Trevor came to me the day I was kidnapped and told me that you… _murdered_ twelve people since you were seventeen…he wasn’t lying, was he?”

Tyler swallowed past the painful lump in his throat, “Jeremy—”

“Was he?” he repeated sharply.

“No,” Tyler muttered as he watched his husband shrink away from him. The action tore his heart in half. The way Jeremy was looking at him now, he could tell he thought him no better than a monster.

Jeremy could barely breathe. His heart felt heavy, like the weight of his confession was literally crushing him. For the first time in a long time, he felt as if he didn’t know the man sitting in front of him. Tyler just confessed to the murders of twelve people and who knew how many more he was hiding. It was too much to take at once.

“They were bad people. All of them were bad people,” Tyler said hastily as he stood. Jeremy shook his head and moved for the door instead. Tyler caught is arm before he got too far.

“Don’t go,” he begged him with such desperation that it broke Jeremy’s heart. “I’m sorry. I never wanted you to find out like this but if you just—!”

Jeremy wrenched his arm away. His eyes were wide and scared and Tyler felt sick to his stomach. He felt that familiar lump back in his throat as he saw Jeremy close himself off from him.

“Baby—”

“Don’t,” Jeremy shook his head with a shameful glare. He left without another word and crushed Tyler’s heart in the process. The billionaire slammed his hand on the table before slumping into his chair and covering his face with his hands.

* * *

Caroline threw another shot of tequila back, hating how the burn in the back of her throat felt as she swallowed. Exhaling she slammed the small shot glass down harder than she meant to and sent an apologetic glance to the woman two seats down from her.

Her cellphone rang on the counter. Katherine’s name appeared and she looked away painfully, letting it go to voicemail. She anticipated its ring again but it never came. It was common for Katherine to call her five times in a row before giving up. Today, however, it seemed she took the hint and gave up on the first one. It almost made Caroline worry that she wasn’t more concerned before catching herself; that was what she had wanted, right? She wanted to be somewhere where Katherine wasn’t hovering all the time. And now that she had achieved that goal, it wasn’t nearly as satisfactory as it should have felt.

The alcohol burned uncomfortably in her stomach at the thought of Katherine not hovering over her anymore and what that meant. Perhaps the brunette got tired of her constantly pushing her away and this was the result of her actions. Maybe she would find another sweet blonde to take care of. Or help Damon with Vicki. She seemed more receptive to affection than she was at the moment. Vicki had already started replacing her in the family starting with Jeremy so it would be long before everyone else preferred her too.

“You want another?” the bartender asked her with his gentle smile. She nodded and pushed the glass towards him.

“Make it two,” she sighed miserably.

“Tequila?”

“Yeah.”

He filled them up, his smile never faltering, “You’ve been in here every day for the past week and a half and you only drink shots of tequila. Why is that?”

She shrugged and mumbled a thank you when he passed them to her. She took a deep breath before downing the first one, the burn returning to her throat worse than before but she held it in. When the bartender leaned on the counter and gazed at her she tensed.

“What?”

“Who is he and what did he do?” his lips quirked upward. “He must be a real asshole if he’s made you drink like this for a week straight.”

Caroline blinked in momentary confusion.

“He’s…there is no he. I mean there was…kind of,” she sighed. The bartender’s eyebrow rose.

“Complicated huh?”

“Very,” she sighed. “The problem isn’t he or she. It’s me.”

“What did you do?”

Caroline snorted. How did one describe that? “I can’t do anything right.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“You don’t know me,” she nearly snapped. She caught her tone and sent him an apologetic look.

“From what I do know, whatever it is that’s bothering you is eating you up inside and drinking is only doing so much. You need to talk about it to someone,” he shrugged.

“I can’t talk about this. It’s…hard,” she muttered as she pushed the glass towards him. She was definitely drunk by the way her vision swam.

“There are a lot of hard things people think they can’t talk about. It only makes them angry and bitter,” he leaned on the counter after giving her a refill. “Talk to me.”

She laughed, “You’re going to think I’m nuts.”

“I doubt that. You don’t look like you’re crazy.”

Her eyebrow rose suspiciously, “Why do you want to know?”

“You just look like you could use someone to talk to. Someone that’s not a part of your immediate life that you can just to vent to. Since I don’t know you other than you like to drink tequila shots in the early afternoon, I thought I would offer my ear. I didn’t mean to pry,” he said gently. “Let me know if you want anything else.”

Caroline felt guilty when he passed her another shot and took off for the other patrons down the bar. She’d become so weary of everyone that it was hard for her to tell good intentions from bad ones. He’d seemed genuine enough.

“I’m sorry,” she started when he came back to her side. “I didn’t mean to be so bitchy earlier. I’ve been going through a rough time.”

“Don’t apologize. You aren’t the first customer that’s turned me down,” he smiled. She smiled back.

“I’m Caroline.”

“Jesse,” he offered her his hand and she took it. “You want another shot Caroline?”

“No…I shouldn’t have anymore,” she put her head in her hand and rested it on the table. “I really need to stop. They would be so mad at me.”

“Who?”

“Katherine, Damon…my whole family, really. They would be pissed if they knew where I was. There’s always someone to monitor how much I drink.”

“Did you have a drinking problem?”

“When I was a teenager. It escalated to drugs when I got older.”

“Wow. Well I will officially cut you off right now,” he took her glass. She gave him a thankful smile.

“So is Katherine your sister?”

Caroline snorted, “She’s my…I don’t know what we are anymore. I told her to leave me alone and she’s doing it so…I don’t know.”

A tear fell unbidden down her face and landed in the sleeve of her black hoodie. Another followed, then another, and then she was burying her head and stifling her embarrassingly loud sobs that seemed to flow from nowhere.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Jesse reached under the bar and pulled out a box of tissues. “Whatever you did, I’m sure it’s really not that bad.”

“It’s not what I did…it’s what happened to me,” she said through hiccups and sniffles. Her heart ached tremendously when she thought about the brunette and about Damon, seemingly happy without her. She felt abandoned, though it was of her own doing, but she couldn’t blame them for not wanting to be around her. She was a basket case; who would want to put up with her?

“Don’t cry,” Jesse said gently as he used his thumb to wipe away her tears. “You’re too pretty to cry.”

She laughed through her tears and used her hands to wipe away the rest of them. They were only replaced by more as she let out a couple sobs.

“Let me call someone for you,” he murmured with a softness that calmed her. “If you really have a drinking problem then you should seek counseling.”

“I don’t want to talk to anyone yet. Can I just get a glass of water?”

He nodded and fixed an ice cold glass. She took it with a thank you and drank deeply. The cold felt good against the burning of her throat.

“Better?”

She nodded. Her face was red from crying and her eyes bloodshot and baggy from lack of sleep. She was certain she looked no better than a zombie.

“Thank you Jesse,” she sighed as she brought herself under control.

“Of course,” he covered her free hand on the counter. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call anyone for you?”

“No, that’s okay. They’re going to want to talk about it and I can’t. Not yet,” she took deep breaths to steady her breathing. “I went through…a really bad experience recently and everyone wants to help but it’s too overwhelming. Katherine just wants to be there for me b-but I don’t know how to let her and Damon’s avoiding me a-and Jeremy always tries to talk to me but I don’t know what to say and Tyler’s always coming to check on me but I just ignore them all and then they stopped and I just…I want my family back. I j-just want things to go back to the way they were before I was taken.”

“It’ll get better Caroline. I’m sure they know that you’re coping with something traumatic.”

“The entire world knows. My face has been all over the news for the past three weeks,” she snorted bitterly. “When people look at me on the street they just give me these pitying looks like they _know_ how I feel and they don’t! They have no idea what it’s like to watch your friend’s house blow up with them in it o-or to be taken from your family by a psycho that p-puts you in a room no better than a jail cell! They don’t know what it felt like to be raped over and over and _over_ by men that paid for your body! They have _no_ idea what it’s like feel like a stranger in your own skin! They don’t know what it’s like to lose their families or themselves because of this! They don’t know _shit_ and I hate that they pretend to!”

She covered her eyes in shame as the tears started flowing again and the sobs came harder than before. She hardly believed she just told a complete stranger what she went through but that was the beauty of alcohol. Now she felt on the verge of throwing it all up.

“It sounds like your family is still there. They just want to give you space,” Jesse murmured as he handed her another tissue. “I wasn’t aware that you were one of the people saved from that prostitution bust. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you.”

“There was so many times where I just wanted to give up. But I held on for them a-and now…now Damon can’t look at me and I make Katherine cry and Jeremy and Tyler left home because they didn’t want to be around me!”

Had she been sober she would’ve been embarrassed by how out of control her emotions were. But she couldn’t contain her sadness, her disgust or her pain any longer as it flowed like water from a breaking dam. The woman two seats from her gave her both sympathetic and alarmed glances, as did the other bartender from the other side of the bar.

“Jesse,” the woman with black-hair walked to them, keeping concerned eyes on Caroline. “Everything okay here?”

“Yes,” Caroline hiccupped as she took a handful of tissues to wipe her face. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, we’re fine May,” he gave her a tight smile. “I was gonna ask for my lunch break now.”

“Go ahead,” she gave the sobbing blonde one last look before going back to the other end of the bar. Jesse quickly came around and took more tissues from the box to wipe her tears away gently.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated sadly. “I can’t even sit at a bar without making an idiot of myself.”

“You’re fine Caroline. You’re not the first completely intoxicated person to cry at a bar. Given what you’ve been through, you have every right,” he said softly as he cleaned her face. “You’re definitely more composed than I would be if this had happened to me.”

She went back to taking deep breaths to gather herself. It was funny how this complete stranger didn’t judge her for the things she just unloaded on him. He was willing to listen to her blubber and cry despite only knowing her first name. And he seemed genuine most of all. Caroline felt as if she could tell him anything.

“There’s this burger place next door. It’s a great place for sobering up. Why don’t we get some food to make you feel better? My treat,” he suggested.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked. He gave her a kind smile.

“You look like you can use a little bit of niceness in your life right now.”

She gave him a watery smile and took his arm, allowing him to lead her out of the bar. Her phone buzzed in her pocket but she ignored it.

* * *

Damon awoke in the late afternoon feeling stuffy and slightly disoriented. His neck ached from where he had awkwardly slept and he cursed Alaric good-naturedly for not waking him up to go sleep in his bed. The bong and containers of marijuana on the coffee table in front of him told him exactly how he passed out. Without a second thought he grabbed the weed and the bong and prepared himself for another hazy session.

He was halfway through his first bowl when his cellphone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored the first call in favor of finishing the weed and growled when the phone never stopped making noise. Setting the bong down, he pulled out his phone and frowned when he saw Mason’s number.

“Hello?”

“Where the hell are you? Tyler and Jeremy got arrested!” he hissed.

“What the hell? Why?” Damon blinked as he tried to think.

“They found Tyler’s fingerprint at a house where an entire family was murdered, including a kid and a pregnant woman. Jeremy got arrested because he apparently used to live with the guy and he beat the shit out of him every day so they think he’s got something to do with it. It’s bad Damon. You need to get down here,” he said softly. Damon’s eyes widened as he recalled the three bullies Tyler spent time tracking down. How he wished he would’ve stopped him now.

“Fuck,” he sighed.

“Tell me you didn’t know about this,” Mason said lowly. “I know that you and Tyler went on a manhunt for Stefan’s attackers back in the day and I let that slide but _please_ tell me he didn’t murder a kid and a pregnant woman.”

“You know Tyler would never do that. Someone’s setting him up,” Damon nearly snapped. “Tyler’s done some questionable things but he’d never hurt children or women.”

“I know…it’s just the police are looking at all of us and its already affecting Carol’s run for office. How the hell are we supposed to explain this to her?”

“What do you mean it’s affecting her run for office? When did this happen?”

“They were brought back from Italy this morning and arrested when they stepped off the plane. Carol and I have already been questioned and I don’t doubt that you, Care and Kat will be next. They might even question Elijah,” Mason sighed.

“What? Don’t they know that that bastard has been against us since before he even worked for Tyler? He’s going to make him look terrible!” Damon cried. “How could they even question him when he’s being held for his own trial?”

“I don’t know. A lot of the rules that applied to the court before are being suspended given everything that’s happened with Mikael,” Mason sighed heavily. “Just get down here Damon.”

“I’ll be there soon,” the raven-haired billionaire muttered before hanging up.

“Shit,” he swore softly before setting his bong on the table and running to his room to throw on some jeans and a decent looking shirt. His mind spun as he tried to think of good alibies for himself and his best friend. He wasn’t losing him or Jeremy to prison. Neither of them would last in there.

“Alaric!” he screamed as he ran back downstairs. He fumbled through a kitchen drawer for his keys and cursed when he couldn’t find them. “Alaric we need to go!”

He frowned when he realized Alaric hadn’t answered him. Looking around, it seemed as if his butler was nowhere in sight.

“Alaric,” he nearly growled as he stormed around his kitchen, living room, dining room and parlor without any luck. Where the hell was he?

The front door opened and he sprinted to it. Alaric jumped, looking startled to see him.

“What?”

“We need to get to the police station,” he huffed as he pulled on his coat. “Where the hell were you?”

“The mail came,” he handed the envelopes to Damon. “Some of it was Stefan’s.”

Damon frowned when he shifted through them and saw two envelopes addressed to his brother without a return address.

“Who’re these from?”

“Don’t know. I asked the mailman but he didn’t know either. He said it might be something top secret,” Alaric shrugged. “Maybe we should open it outside in case it’s Anthrax or something.”

“Why would someone send Stefan poison?” Damon snorted. He slid his thumb under the flap and tore the flap open. He pulled the letter out and read through it hastily. Alaric frowned at the way his eyes squinted in confusion and then widened and his mouth dropped open as he read it a third and fourth time.

“What?”

“Holy shit,” he breathed. “This isn’t…this isn’t possible.”

“What?” Alaric nearly demanded. Damon handed him the letter with slightly shaking hands. When he ripped open the second one, much of the same expressions overtook his face.

“Well that explains why we never met his wife,” the butler stared at the names of Katherine Pierce and Elena Salvatore and the results that clearly showed that they were identical twins. “How the hell…Katherine doesn’t know, does she?”

“No…because she was adopted,” Damon concluded as he swallowed heavily. “It all makes sense now. Stefan knew Elena was her twin and that’s why he never let us meet her.”

“Why the hell didn’t he say anything?”

“I remember he said she was in danger from someone. I don’t know who but that had to be why,” Damon shook his head. “Look at this one.”

They switched. Damon looked between Alaric’s expression and the letter in his hand, watching the butler’s expression change from confused to downright astonished.

“Is this…what I think it is?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“How the hell did Stefan…how did he _know_?” he sputtered. “

“I don’t know. Stefan’s always been perceptive. Maybe it was something he saw,” the billionaire ran a tired hand over his face. “How the hell are we supposed to tell him _this_?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t keep this from either of them. Both Katherine and Jeremy deserve to know what Stefan found,” Alaric said softly.

“You’re right. They deserve to know,” Damon repeated with a heavy sigh, feeling as if his entire week had been destroyed of any peace it could possibly have. At the rate things kept happening, he didn’t see any kind of peace in his immediate future at all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Please enjoy!

Jeremy stared at the dirty white walls of his jail cell dejectedly. He felt as if he'd been in there for weeks as opposed to one day. The quietness was enough to drive him insane but his only other option was to share a cell with his husband. He needed his space so he could think about everything that had happened in the past hour.

Tyler, the man he vowed to spend the rest of his life with, was guilty of killing twelve people including his tormentors, a pregnant woman and a child. He couldn't believe that Tyler would do something so evil but the evidence was staring him in the face. And the fact that Tyler admitted to killing other people prior to these allegations made it worse. He felt like a complete fool for not seeing something earlier.

Tyler was too good to be true; he knew it when he first met him and he was painfully reminded of it again now. He came into his life unexpectedly and Jeremy fell for him so hard and fast that it clouded his judgment and now…he was in a jail cell facing the death penalty for a crime he had no idea had taken place. That was a love story if he ever heard one.

Sighing, Jeremy lay back on his cot and covered his eyes with his arm. Frustration built inside him as he thought about how he always managed to end up in trouble by someone else's doing. It was the very reason that made it hard for him to trust anyone. He was tired of always taking the fall for someone else's misgivings and ending up worse off than he was before. He was sick of his happiness always being taken away and being left miserable and alone, which was exactly how he was going to end up again. The evidence damned Tyler enough to at least have a trial, Jeremy knew. So it would be just his luck if Tyler was tried and convicted.

The thought of his husband going to prison upset him greatly but he wasn't sure if he was more upset by what he did more than the time he would have to spend for it. He was having a hard time coming to terms with Tyler admitting to his crimes and not believing he was in the wrong. He had said that he killed those people because they were bad, but his own actions made him no better in Jeremy's opinion. People were not supposed to kill other people, simple as that.

What really bothered Jeremy, however, was whom Tyler was accused of killing. Begrudgingly, he could see his husband being responsible for the deaths of his tormentors in the orphanage but he could not see him murdering the woman or the child for any reason. Jeremy knew his husband would sooner shoot his own foot than ever lay a hand on someone physically weaker than him. He advocated for women and children every day with his charities and shelters that kept them off the streets, so Jeremy was having a difficult time in accepting his role in their murders. He wondered, however, why no one else could see it.

 _Goddamn it Tyler_ , he sighed bitterly. He was angry, and slightly disturbed if he were honest with himself, that Tyler actually believed he had the right to kill them. What pissed him off even more was that he was being dragged into it when he had no idea it even happened. He was positive the others knew, how could they not, and it made his anger at each and every one of them simmer. They didn't warn him that being involved with Tyler also came with this and he found himself resenting them for it.

Jeremy remembered how Trevor had come to him just before he died to share the information he had found on Tyler and he felt more like a fool than ever. Someone outside of his family tried to warn him about this and he didn't want to listen. He thought Trevor had been obsessed with him, and he more than likely was, but now he wished that he would've taken the time to listen. He couldn't say if he would've believed him or not, but at least he would've known. This might've been avoided if he had.

He rolled onto his side and buried his face into his thin, dirty pillow. The young orphan didn't see many options he had in getting out of this. There was money to bail him out, but he worried that he wouldn't be allowed the chance to post because of the heinous nature of his crime. The judge could very well order him to remain in custody and he would remain in a jail cell for who knew how long until his trial, away from his family and away from Tyler. Despite how he felt about them now, Jeremy would've much rather preferred being around them than the people here. Who knew just how many real criminals were being held in this place with him.

He was startled out of his thoughts by the creaking sound of his cell door opening.

"You have a visitor," the guard nodded at him to stand. Jeremy was humiliated when he pulled out handcuffs and reached for his wrists.

"Are these really necessary?" he asked quietly as they were locked in place. The guard ignored him and walked through the door. He kept his head down, wondering who had come to visit him.

His heart lurched when he was brought to the visitation room and he saw Bonnie sitting at one of the tables in the back corner, her leg bouncing nervously. Jeremy did a double take of his best friend; her hair was cut much shorter than the last time he saw her, in a bob-like fashion. It made him realize he couldn't even remember the last time he saw her.

The guard removed his cuffs and led him to the table. Bonnie stood immediately when she saw him and threw her arms around him, ignoring the officer's request to keep her distance.

"Are you okay?" she breathed as she cupped his face.

"Could be better," he forced a half-grin. "It's good to see you Bon."

"I would say the same if I didn't just see you in handcuffs or spend the last hour and a half being interrogated for being your friend," she stared at him sadly. "This is a hell of a way to ring in the New Year."

Jeremy blinked; he had completely forgotten all about the holiday season.

"Carol told me everything," she sighed. "I was scared when I hadn't heard from you in so long. Then I get to work this morning and the police are waiting for me outside the building and I was positive you were dead."

"I'm sorry Bon. I was going to call you. Everything just happened too fast," he sighed, wincing as she glared at him. "I didn't mean to ignore you, I promise."

"Ever since you got out the hospital I haven't been able to get in contact with you at _all_!" her voice went up a notch. "I mean you nearly _died_ for Christ's sake Jeremy! The least you could do is let me know you're still breathing! And now you're in freaking _jail_? What the hell is going on?"

Jeremy felt the guilt triple in his gut. He's been a terrible friend to her these past few months and she had always been there for him. It made him sad that he couldn't seem to return that same courtesy.

"I'm sorry Bonnie. I really am," he said quietly, hoping that his guilt was showing on his face. "I've been a horrible friend to you and you don't deserve it after everything you've done for me. I swear I'll make it up to you, if you even want me around at this point. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't."

Bonnie's anger slowly dissipated and she visibly deflated. Her shoulders sagged as she leaned forward and covered Jeremy's hands with her own.

"Of course I still want you around Jer. You're my best friend," she sighed. "And I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for that. You went through something traumatic and horrible and I don't blame you for wanting a vacation. I'm just being selfish because I want to be the one that makes it better like when you would run away from the orphanage and stay with me."

Jeremy forced a smile at the mention of the orphanage and laced their fingers together.

"When I get out of here, I promise you and I will hang out like we used to back then. We'll even have a Leo DiCaprio movie marathon and I'll sit through _Titanic_ for the millionth time if you want."

Bonnie giggled, "It just so happens that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the year it sunk, so there's now a platinum edition with 100 hours of extras as a bonus!"

He laughed, "I'm sure you've already watched it 100 times."

She grinned, "Of course I have. You know Leo is my boo."

For a moment, Jeremy completely forgot that he was in a prison visitation room. He had really missed his best friend and he wanted her as a part of his family. He wanted Tyler and the others to love her and Abby as much as he did and he wanted them to be a real family. He silently vowed to himself to do just that.

"And you still need to tell me what it was like being Tyler Lockwood's sex slave," she smirked. Jeremy flushed and coughed. Her smirk disappeared and she became serious.

"Is he going to trial?"

"I don't know. We both probably will," Jeremy sighed sadly. "I can't believe this is happening."

"It's going to turn out alright Jer. The truth will come out soon and you'll be free," she soothed. "You don't need bail money do you?"

"Carol didn't tell you Tyler made a secret bank account for me and put $1.5 million in it?" he snorted.

" _What_?" Bonnie hissed. "You're a freaking millionaire?"

"Guess so," he sighed. "It's been a nightmare Bon. One minute we're in Italy enjoying our honeymoon and looking to buy a house in the countryside and the next these officers ambush us and tell us we have to—what?"

He stopped when he saw her staring at her with her mouth dropped open. He frowned.

"Bon?"

"I'm sorry, did you say _honeymoon_? As in yours and _Tyler's_ honeymoon? As in you got _married_?" she gaped. Jeremy silently went over his words in his head and cursed himself for spilling their secret.

"Yes. We…eloped in Italy," he smiled nervously. Bonnie scoffed after another moment of long staring.

"Are you _freaking kidding_ me Jeremy? You got married and you _didn't tell me_? I was supposed to be your best man! I was supposed to be your matron of honor! I was supposed to be _in the wedding_! I was supposed to _see_ my best friend get married and…and how could you do that without me?"

"Keep it down over there," the guard snapped at them gruffly when Bonnie's voice reached a nearly hysterical level. Bonnie shot him an apologetic look and took deep breaths to calm herself.

"We didn't tell anyone. You're the second person who knows," Jeremy muttered quickly. "Bon, this decision was made completely last minute. We practically left in the middle of the night and we didn't tell anyone. We were going to tell everyone when we came back."

"Who's the first person to know?"

"Carol. She was upset that we left and she wanted to spend Christmas with us. She found out because she saw our rings. We didn't tell her."

Bonnie snatched his hand from the table and inspected the ring on his hand. She gave an exasperated sigh as she held it in both of hers.

"Wow Jer. I don't even know what to say," she said finally as she stared at him. This time her expression was impassive. "So was this the reason why?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Did he suggest marriage because he knew this would happen and you wouldn't be forced to testify against him?"

"No, no that's not why at all! We wanted to do something for ourselves!" Jeremy exclaimed. Bonnie looked uneasy.

"I don't know Jer. It's just _too_ much of a coincidence that you both run off to get hitched in another country and then he's arrested for the murder of people that used to hurt you. And that poor family…how could he do something like that?"

"He didn't Bon. Someone is setting us up," he said with a sinking heart. If Bonnie didn't believe that Tyler wasn't guilty then he wasn't sure what he could do to change her mind. The evidence, as little as there was, was staring all of them in the face rather harshly.

"You think so?" she murmured.

"Yeah. Tyler would never do something like this. He's spent millions protecting children and people from violence! Why would he ever harm a child? Or a pregnant woman? That's not who he is at all! You've met him!"

"I know. And he doesn't strike me as the type of person to murder," she sighed. "I'm sorry I questioned you Jer. I just don't know Tyler that well…and how well do you really know him?"

"He's my husband Bonnie. I've been living with him for a year. I like to think I would know if the person I'm sleeping with is out murdering people," he forced out a laugh. She didn't join in.

"There's people that are married for 20 years and they still don't know everything about their significant others."

"We don't keep secrets. He tells me everything. I know everything about him. He would never do something like this unless he was defending himself."

Bonnie gazed at him sympathetically, "You don't have to lie to me Jeremy. Tyler won't know if you tell me the truth. I wouldn't tell."

For a moment, Jeremy briefly considered telling her the entire truth. But he was positive that would only accomplish nothing but convincing his best friend that his husband was a murderer and, despite everything, that was the last thing he wanted. Since he didn't plan on giving Tyler up to the police, he already knew that he was going to have to lie to everyone around him, including Bonnie and her mother. And while he didn't believe lying was a good thing, for this he would smother his self-loathing and do what he had to do to bring his two families together. He wanted Bonnie and her mother apart of their lives and he was selfish enough to lie to her to get it. He needed his best friend to be on his side, even if it was the wrong one.

"Tyler is not a killer," he said pleadingly. "Please Bon, I need you to believe me. He didn't kill those people. Mikael Mikaelson did, I _know_ he's somehow behind this! I know he's dead so it seems impossible but…he's the only one who hated Tyler enough to destroy his life like this. I need you to trust me on this Bonnie. He's not a killer. I wouldn't defend him if he was."

She still looked uneasy and he internally panicked. If he didn't do a good enough job of selling it to her then he was screwed. He had never been good at lying; now his and Tyler's lives depended on it and it was nerve wracking.

"I don't know Jer. I feel like you would say anything to protect him because you love him. There's nothing wrong with that," she said quickly when he started to protest, "but I don't think you can look at this objectively. Those people were wrong for hurting you and they deserved to be punished, but they didn't deserve to die. Please don't protect a murderer."

"He's _not_! I can't believe you think he did this!" he snapped angrily, startling her. "How hard is it to see that we're being set up Bonnie? Mikael is responsible for this! I'm telling you the truth! I know I've dealt with some twisted people but Tyler isn't one of them! He's not a killer!"

"I'm only telling you how I feel based off of what I've heard so far! Don't get angry with me because Tyler looks more guilty than innocent!" she snapped back.

"You sound just like the prosecutor! He already thinks we're both guilty and everyone's been treating us like we're no better than Mikael!" he retorted. "You think I have something to do with this too, don't you?"

"Of course not! Calm down," she said softly. Jeremy took a deep breath and closed his eyes to reign in his anger. He prayed that he didn't just ruin any chances of swaying his best friend's opinion.

"I'm sorry. I've been so stressed out over this whole thing," he sighed miserably. "I just can't believe that we were so happy and now…now we're looking at the death penalty."

" _What_?" Bonnie hissed. "They can't do that, can they?"

"If the judge agrees to it. I haven't heard from Andie since I met with the D.A. yesterday, so I guess that means I'm having a trial too," his eyes started to water of their own accord. He'd never felt so hopeless in his whole life, even when he was being abused. And Bonnie's open suspicion of Tyler wasn't helping at all. If his own best friend didn't believe him, why should a jury?

"It's going to be okay," Bonnie said softly when one tear trailed down his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all of that. I'm just…I'm worried that he's changed you so much that even if he had done something you would be too scared to say something or your feelings would cloud your judgment. I just don't want to see you go down for something you had no part in."

"And I agree that they shouldn't have died. But I never told Tyler anything about them other than what they did to me. He didn't even know their full names. And he would never threaten me into silence, or use marriage as a way to ensure my loyalty. He asked me to marry him in the hospital. He's been planning it for months," he said softly. "He's a good person. Please believe that."

The brunette was quiet and it made his stomach twist in knots. Finally, her emerald eyes locked onto his and she gave him a small smile.

"I'm still unsure about him…but I trust you Jeremy," she said. "I just want you to be safe."

He smiled as he squeezed her hands. The relief was rolling over him in waves.

"I'm always safe with Tyler," he reassured.

"Will you have to testify against him?"

"No. We have spousal privilege, so if I'm…indicted, he won't have to testify against me either," his smile disappeared and his anxiousness was back. "If I have to go to trial and…and you have to testify against me—"

"Don't say that," she interrupted quickly. "It won't come to that. If it does, we'll talk about it then."

He nodded, unable to continue on that thought.

"Let's talk about something else," he forced a smile to his face. "What's been going on with you?"

She grinned, appearing relieved to switch subjects.

"Don't laugh at me…but I joined a dating site," she looked bashful. He chuckled.

"Really? I thought you said you would never do that because it made women look desperate."

"Yeah, well, that was before I realized how I'm completely lacking in my love life. I've been single since senior year of high-school and I'm 20 now!" she whined. "It was fine because you were single and I was single but then Tyler happened."

"That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't convinced me to crash his Christmas party with you."

"But aren't you glad I did?" she grinned. "Thanks to me you met the love of your life."

Jeremy smiled, the first genuine smile he gave since being arrested. She was right. Without her, he wouldn't have met Tyler or the others. And despite where he was now, he couldn't say that he regretted it at all. His life had changed for the better when he met him, and it was all because of his best friend.

"I never thanked you for making me go with you. At the time I wished I hadn't agreed but I'm glad I did," he said. "Even though this might not end well…I can't say I regret any of it."

"This is going to sound strange since you're in jail, but I think your decision to become his slave was the best one you ever made," she chuckled when he blushed. "You needed it Jer. You needed to experience life and he helped you do it. Tyler brought you out of your shell."

"He did," he smiled fondly. He felt as if he experienced another life with his husband and he wouldn't give that up for anything. Just like he knew he wouldn't be able to tell the truth on the stand about what Tyler had done.

The young orphan was aware that he was embarking on a dangerous path. If he was caught lying he could go to jail for perjury. He'd thought about it over and over again and no matter how he looked at the situation, he couldn't bring himself to come to another conclusion. He wasn't going to allow Tyler to go to prison, no matter how much he disagreed with what he did. It was completely irrational, but he wouldn't let his former tormentors take one more thing away from him.

Bonnie was allowed to stay for another 30 minutes before their time was up. She gripped Jeremy in a tight hug before she was led through a door on the opposite side of the one he came through. He was placed back in handcuffs and led back to his own room. Rubbing his wrists from the harsh metal, he dropped onto his cot with a heavy sigh and buried his head in his hands. The conversation he had with Bonnie played in his mind on repeat and he hoped he was able to sway her to his side.

He was uncertain when he fell asleep but he was woken by the guard at his door once more.

"Gilbert," he hit the bars with his baton. "Your lawyer is here."

The metal bars slowly rolled open and he stood, not sure what to expect. The guard beckoned him to follow him down the hall to private interrogation rooms on either side of the hallway. The guard opened a door on the left side and he was thrust into a pale yellow room with only one old wooden table and four blue plastic chairs that had seen better days. Andie sat facing the door, her blonde hair resting on the shoulders of the navy blue jacket of her suit.

"How are you holding up?" she asked when the doors were closed. He shrugged.

"Alright, considering," he sat across from her. "What's going on?"

"The D.A. wants to meet with us to offer you a plea deal before your preliminary hearing. I don't think it will be anything you want but I think we should hear what he has to say," Andie offered him an encouraging smile. "This is a good thing. It means their evidence isn't solid enough to hold the case so they're getting desperate."

Jeremy wished he could feel like it was a good thing but all he could feel was dread.

"What, exactly, would I have to do to get a deal?" he asked, nearly feeling ashamed for doing so. He told himself it wasn't because he was going to take it.

"You would more than likely have to name Tyler as the mastermind and the murderer as well as give evidence that he either coerced you into this or bought your silence with marriage and the $1.5 million in your bank account. Anything you could give them like the location of the murder weapon would be in your favor but it won't help you in this case since you had no idea the murders even happened," she stood when the door opened again and a different guard stood outside.

"Shall we?" she gestured to Jeremy. He reluctantly followed her down another hall where they were back to seeing jail cells, only these had tables and chairs. They entered the cell in the back corner where a man with a dark head of hair, thick eyebrows and a crooked nose. He sneered at them as they sat down.

"Ms. Starr, I thought you were heading the Elijah Mikaelson case?" he asked. "I do believe you representing someone for the defense as well as the prosecution breeches ethics."

"I passed that case over to D.A. Marcel Gerard three days ago when I resigned from the position. D.A. Marcel Gerard is now handling that case," Andie leaned back in her chair lazily. "Let's cut to the chase, D.A. Anderson. You came to talk plea deals, did you not?"

He chuckled, "Charming as ever, Ms. Starr."

His dark brown eyes turned onto Jeremy and he could see the contempt this man held for him. He looked at the table and avoided his gaze.

"We know your client is the connection Lockwood has to the murder victims. We have evidence that these murders are not a coincidence, but attacks that were meticulously planned and carried out. If Jeremy tells me the truth about his involvement, gives me the location of the murder weapon or information on the whereabouts of Jared Hernandez's body, we will take the death penalty off the table."

The orphan blanched at his words.

"You don't even have proof that Jeremy had any involvement in this crime! How could you give him the death penalty?"

"A jury will believe he was involved when we tell them about his past with the victims. They both have motive Ms. Starr. Even you can't deny that."

"I'm not saying they didn't. But the only evidence you have of them committing a crime is one of Tyler's fingerprints. You have no hairs, no other DNA and no murder weapon," Andie smirked. "The results from the bullets came back and they don't match any of Tyler's handguns."

"It doesn't matter. Lockwood is the only one who left evidence that he was there. He could've used an unregistered gun to commit the act and then gotten rid of it later."

"And yet, you don't have any evidence to put Jeremy at any crime scene. Hell, you don't even have evidence that indicates he planned or even _knew_ about these murders because there is _none_. You might have Tyler's fingerprint but you have nothing to tie Jeremy to your case," Andie smirked. "So counselor, you might want to try again. What about the gang that Jared Hernandez was involved with? He and Paul Jenkins ran in the same circle."

"If Jeremy can tell us what happened the night of each murder, we'll drop the conspiracy charge," Anderson said after a brief moment of silence. Jeremy's stomach rolled.

"Jeremy doesn't know anything about the murders. He was not involved so he can't tell you anything. You're going to have to drop the charge when he has his preliminary hearing regardless because there won't be enough evidence to convict."

Anderson leaned on his elbows and looked Jeremy in the eye.

"How about this: you tell me everything you know and we won't give Tyler the death penalty. That is the best I can do any my final offer. He is going to prison no matter what you want to believe. The question is will he have the chance for parole or will he sit on death row for a few decades. It's your call Jeremy."

Jeremy's eyes narrowed at his threat.

"Think about those two children that he killed because of you. Don't you think you owe them some justice?" Anderson asked. "None of this would've happened if not for you."

"You're out of line counselor," Andie snarled. "I don't know how many times I have to explain that you have _no_ evidence to put him at any crime scene! You only have your conspiracy theories and one fingerprint!"

Anderson didn't respond, his eyes never straying from Jeremy's face.

"What will it be Jeremy?" he asked solemnly. "Either tell the truth to save yourself and your husband or you can both die in prison."

It was an ultimatum if he ever heard one. Amazingly, he didn't feel anxiety or panic when he stared back at the man who could destroy his life completely. He only felt anger, a burning, seething sensation that overtook his entire body and made him hot all over. Tyler might have been guilty of murdering twelve people but that didn't mean he deserved to die either. Nor did Jeremy really believe, or want, him to be in prison. He was angry with him, but he would rather have Tyler at home than prison where he couldn't even see him. When it came down to it, Jeremy knew deep down that even if he had information about the murders that he wouldn't give his husband up. He still loved him, married him and wanted to stay that way. There was only one option for him.

"You can keep your deals. Tyler and I aren't guilty of anything," he sneered back at the D.A. "I'll take my chances."

"That is a huge mistake young man. This was the chance to clear your name. Now we're going to question Elijah Mikaelson and I'm sure he won't mind telling the truth about you and Tyler," Anderson stood solemnly. Jeremy's eyes widened and he knew fear was visible in them.

"You can't do that! He helped his father try to kill us! Of course he's going to tell you what you want to hear so you can convict us both!"

"That is a huge breech of ethics counselor. You know damn well that Elijah Mikaelson is in prison because of everything he did to Tyler's family," Andie rolled her eyes. "His answers will not be considered objective. The judge would never allow that."

"Elijah Mikaelson was still working for Tyler when these murders took place. Since the rest of the family doesn't want to talk, he will. And I think she will agree to accept his testimony since he is perhaps a key witness to their crimes."

He glared at Jeremy, "The jury and the judge won't be lenient on you because of your involvement in the Mikael Mikaelson case. Just because you managed to get rid of one of the worst criminals in the modern world doesn't excuse you for murder."

"I'm not a murderer! Neither is Tyler!" Jeremy cried in raw anger. "You only want to blame it on me because of my past and you have no one else to put it on! I'm _nothing_ like them! I don't hurt people just because I can!"

"No. You just kill them," Anderson smirked. "I'd say you were a whole lot worse than those boys that hurt you and a jury will agree with me."

"Goodbye Anderson," Andie snapped as she got to her feet. When Jeremy opened his mouth to retort she squeezed his shoulder hard.

"I'll see you in chambers," his smirk stayed on his face as he left.

Jeremy followed Andie and the guard escorting them back through the halls to his jail cell. He looked for Tyler along the way and was disappointed and relieved when he didn't see him. He wasn't sure what to say to him just yet.

"Don't let Anderson get to you. He's known for pushing the boundaries of our profession with the things he says," Andie murmured when the cell door was shut behind her. "He's only got a 43% conviction rate so I think we should be fine."

"Unless I'm unfortunate enough to be in that 43%," Jeremy sighed as he sagged against the wall. "Can they really question Elijah Mikaelson?"

"I'm not sure. I will find out if the judge will allow it when we have our meeting later. I personally believe that would be breeching ethics but under the circumstances, she could allow it."

Jeremy cursed inwardly. If Elijah testified against Tyler, he was positive that he would never see his husband again. There had to be a way to stop him.

"What do you really think my chances are at avoiding prison?"

"Right now, I would say they were pretty good. The only problem would be that you're tied to these people because you used to live with them but we can discredit that easily. But in order to do that, we would mostly have to place the blame on Tyler, which isn't good for his case."

"So you think they're going to drop the charges?"

"I believe so. I'm meeting with the judge and Anderson this afternoon to go over all the evidence the prosecution has and I'll compare evidence. If all they have is the fingerprint then that will not be enough. People have been known to steal fingerprints to set people up so we usually need more than one in order to only use those during trial," the lawyer explained. "They can only hold you and Tyler for 72 hours while they make their case so your arraignment will be tomorrow. From there, you'll have a preliminary hearing where the judge will decide if there is sufficient evidence for you to stand trial."

Jeremy nodded with another miserable sigh.

"You're going to be fine Jer. My team is working around the clock to help you guys. You just have to trust me," Andie said softly. He snorted.

"Trust is what got me in this situation," he leaned against the wall and angled his body to face her. "I trusted Tyler, Katherine, Damon, I trusted all of them. Now I'm in a jail cell, about to be tried for a crime I didn't even know about."

She smiled sadly.

"Don't blame them for this. It's only going to make this harder," she murmured. "You need all the support you can get right now. I imagine they weren't sure how to tell you."

"So you knew too," Jeremy deadpanned with a humorless laugh. "Did Carol know? Did practically everyone know except for me that the person I married is a murderer?"

"She wasn't aware. Tyler only gave me the details I needed to make his case. I didn't ask for the whole story," she murmured.

"Do you think what he did was right?" Jeremy finally asked the question that plagued him. He already had his opinion, but he needed to know what everyone else thought too.

"…I don't believe he had the right, no," she admitted. "But I understand his reasoning. And honestly, I don't want him to spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering people that weren't worth ending up in prison for."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I both know that Tyler didn't kill the child or the woman. I even believe he didn't kill the man, Paul Jenkins," she said. "The others…they didn't deserve death, but they should've ended up in the system. They've done terrible things, all of them. I understand why Tyler did what he did."

Jeremy frowned. He hadn't thought about things that way. Tyler said they were bad people but he never thought about how bad they might have been. And if he were being honest, he didn't see any of his tormentors from the past having a shred of decency within them. They had been criminals when they were younger and he was sure they hadn't changed since. Criminal or not, however, did not excuse Tyler of murder.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked softly. She nodded. "Do you think he's going to be convicted?"

"Truthfully? It's too soon for me to tell. Even without substantial evidence, they have motive. Once motive is established to a jury it's difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, especially when the motive is as solid as this one," she sighed. "But I'm confident that we'll poke enough holes in the case to deflate it. I'm betting that the jury will be torn because some will support Tyler regardless and they won't be able to make a verdict, in which case it will be considered a mistrial and he'll be free to go."

"I need to speak to him again," he said. "I'm really mad at him but I want to make sure he's okay."

"You won't be able to see him until you're both released, and that could be as early as tomorrow afternoon for you," she murmured. "I'll make sure you can see him the first opportunity that comes up."

He smiled grimly. Knowing his luck, the next time he saw Tyler he would be wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackled like a rabid animal. And the only thing he could do was wait until then.

* * *

Tyler smiled weakly when Katherine was escorted by a guard into the visitor's waiting room. She threw her arms around him and he squeezed her hard.

"Are you alright my darling?" she asked in his ear. He nodded with a kiss to her cheek.

"I'm fine."

They sat across from each other and their hands sought the other's, meeting in the middle of the table and clasping together tightly. The watery smile Katherine gave him made the lump in his throat grow.

"Has your mother been to see you?" she asked. He shook his head.

"She was here briefly but she couldn't stay. She had a meeting with some endorsers for the campaign."

"And Jeremy? Is he not with you?"

Tyler's lips pressed together and he shook his head. He felt ill every time he thought about his husband. It wasn't fair to think that he should be grateful to him for getting rid of the people that hurt him when he hadn't asked him to do so but Tyler couldn't help feeling like Jeremy had abandoned him in his time of need. When he really needed him to be there for him so he could explain his side of the story, he ran without a backwards glance to a cell on the opposite side of the jail so he wouldn't have to look at him. Shame, guilt and self-loathing had been plaguing him since then, as well as the fear of Jeremy wanting a divorce or worse, an annulment.

"I think he hates me," he said with a small voice. "You should've seen the look on his face when I told him the truth Kat. He couldn't wait to get away from me."

"He is overwhelmed Tyler. He has not known you for as long as the rest of us. He does not fully understand how you think yet," she soothed. "Did you explain?"

"He didn't give me a chance to," he sighed. "He's never going to look at me the same. I messed up big time."

"You are worried that he will want a divorce."

Tyler gaped at her, "How did you…?"

"Carol told us. She had to Tyler. The police have questioned us about it," she added quickly at the annoyed look he was giving her. "She wanted us to know before it was put all over the news."

"Fuck," Tyler sucked in a breath. "Please tell me they don't know."

"You and Jeremy have been all over the news for the past day. This morning they finally produced a copy of your wedding certificate from Italy."

"Goddamn it! That's just one more reason for him to fucking hate me," he sighed. "Something always happens to ruin the happiness we have. It's like the world is against us."

"Do not think that way. These are just unfortunate circumstances brought about by a man that wanted to destroy our lives. We both know that Mikael is the one responsible for the death of that poor family and that he is using it to frame you. Even the news reporters are saying that your guilt is doubtful," his sister gave him an encouraging smile. "I believe the odds of this trial will be in your favor."

Tyler snorted, "They're going to question Elijah and he's going to tell them everything. I'm fucked Katherine."

"I do not think so," she scanned the room before leaning in closer. Tyler had to lean in to hear her next words. "Elijah will not be a problem."

His brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"If the prosecution's case rests solely on his testimony, you will be a free man in no time at all," she smirked mischievously. Tyler couldn't help laughing.

"What did you guys do?"

"You will see soon enough."

**xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox**

"This is a terrible plan Damon!"

"Well come up with a better one."

"You know there isn't one," Mason looked over his shoulder cautiously. "Are you _sure_ we won't get caught?"

"Get caught thanking the man that helped save us all from Mikael's evil grasp? What's so terrible about that?" Damon smirked as they were escorted to the visitors section of the jail by the guard that so graciously accepted his $300 to gain entry. Their black Italian leather shoes swept smoothly across the stone floor as they passed people awaiting prison transfers and trials donning orange jumpsuits and shackles around their arms and feet.

"He could easily tell someone what we're up to. You haven't even been questioned yet. You shouldn't be back here. Hell neither should I!"

"Hopefully they haven't questioned _him_ yet."

"Carol said they were going to tomorrow."

"Excellent," Damon grinned wickedly. All he needed was ten minutes with the former butler to set him straight.

"How do you know this will even work? This could backfire in the worst way and Tyler will _definitely_ go to prison then!"

"It won't. Trust me."

The guard stopped at a cell at the end of the hall and let them in. The only items in the room were an old brown table and four metal chairs surrounding it. Mason and Damon took a seat facing the door. They didn't have to wait long for Elijah to be brought out. The steadily growing facial hair and mused hair barely made him recognizable.

"Salvatore, Lockwood," he smirked lightly as he sat down. "What can I do for you?"

"It's more of what we can do for you," Damon said as he folded his hands on the table, his confident smirk back in place. Elijah's own smirk grew.

"I doubt you could do anything for me now. I hear that Lockwood and the rest of you are under investigation for multiple murders. How…unfortunate," he clicked his tongue.

"Wasn't it you that looked up all the information about those people for him to kill? That makes you an accomplice," Mason snapped. Elijah threw his head back with a laugh.

"You are also accomplices for knowing about his actions. I always knew he would be caught. He was not careful enough," he slouched in his seat. "I am already looking at the death penalty, so what's being an accomplice in another six murders going to change?"

"Are you aware of how long the process is for someone to be legally murdered? You'll most likely be using a walker by the time they reach your name. The question is where will you be held until then?" Damon's wicked smirk was back. Elijah's slowly slipped off his face and his brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm not sure what you're implying."

"Your face has been all over the news for weeks. Everyone knows what you've done, they know who you are. They know that you were a part of a sex trafficking operation that sold defenseless children to men internationally."

"That makes you a sex offender, a pedophile. They don't take too kindly to your kind in the pen," Mason grinned wickedly.

Elijah looked between the two of them before giving a loud laugh.

"Let me guess: in exchange for my silence on Tyler's indecent behaviors you are offering to allow me to stay in solitary confinement. Should I choose not to comply—"

"We'll have you transferred to general population, and who knows how long you'll last there," Damon leaned forward. "It only takes a couple hundred for someone to fix your paperwork and send you to live with the rest of Nivea's worst. You wouldn't last a day, not in there. Your best bet to survive is to remain in solitary."

"And if you tell the truth of Mikael's involvement with that family's murder, we'll make sure you stay there," Mason finished. Elijah gave another laugh, this one sounding more exhausted than humorous.

"I never wanted any part of this life. I never wanted to become a criminal. I had no choice in deciding my future, much like the rest of my family," he sighed heavily. "You believe that he has destroyed your lives but he hasn't. You have a chance to rebuild, a chance to move on from this. Mikael forced his notorious legacy onto my shoulders and groomed me to be the one to take the blame for his messes once they got out of hand. That is all I ever was to him, not a business partner nor a son. I was nothing to him like the rest of them and like a fool, I began to believe otherwise. It was only after…after my brother's death that I realized that we were all disposable."

"Tyler and Jeremy won't have the chance to rebuild if they're thrown in prison for murders they didn't do," Damon snapped. "He took you in when we believed Mikael threw you out for standing up to him for killing Richard. He gave you a place to sleep and he kept you fed despite hating Mikael. He didn't have to do that."

"It was not for my benefit. He only did it to anger my father."

"He did it because he had mercy on you when your father didn't. You owe him," Mason snarled. The eldest living Mikaelson ran a hand over his exhausted face, his red eyes looking at the table in thought.

"Is there anything specific you would like me to tell the district attorneys when they question me?" he finally asked. They smirked.

* * *

The next morning was a complete blur for Jeremy. He was woken roughly around 6:50 in the morning by Andie telling him that he and Tyler were on their way to arraignment. He'd barely had any time to prepare himself before he finally saw Tyler one moment and was thrust in front of a judge the next. He could feel his eyes on his face but he wouldn't look at him.

The court room was swarmed with paparazzi and reporters. Lights flashed as cameras snapped picture after picture of one of the biggest trials of the year. Jeremy felt his panic resume inside him as people stared at him like a zoo animal. He felt claustrophobic with all the attention on him. Behind them, Carol, Katherine, Mason and Damon stood in silent support.

"Order!" the judge barked as she stormed out of her chambers and sat in her seat. "If you people can't control yourselves I'll have you removed, special interest case or not."

Everyone was quiet in seconds.

"Now," she shuffled papers around her desk before raising her head. "Ms. Starr, it is strange to see you standing on this side of the courtroom."

"I know, your honor. But I felt very strongly about this case."

"I understand. It's personal. I see you even stepped down from the Elijah Mikaelson case, which I find very admirable of you," she nodded before turning to Tyler and Jeremy. "Mr. Lockwood and Mr. Gilbert-Lockwood, you are both being charged with six counts of murder in the first degree and conspiracy to commit murder. How do you both plead?"

"Not guilty," they echoed at the same time. More cameras went off as the paparazzi stirred at Jeremy's last name.

"What do the people request for bail?"

"We request remand for both defendants your honor," the prosecutor, Anderson, Jeremy remembered, spoke hastily. "Mr. Lockwood is accused of murdering an entire family in cold blood, plus two more people, because they were all connected to his husband's troubled past. Jeremy has even admitted that he was not fond of the defendants. There is clear motive and intent behind these crimes and who knows how many more people they could be planning to murder?"

"There was only one fingerprint found at the scene of the crime that belonged to Tyler Lockwood and it was found on the outside of the house. There is absolutely no other evidence to place either one of my clients at the scene of the crime that day," Andie rebutted. "The prosecution doesn't even have a murder weapon."

"We are still trying to locate it," Anderson growled. "The Lockwoods are also a major flight risk your honor. We found them in Italy and they own multiple properties all over the world."

"Tyler Lockwood owns a multi-billion dollar corporation and sponsors multiple charities, three of which he created. There is no way he is going to leave everything he's ever worked for over a false charge. He and his husband want their names cleared as fast as possible, so they will surrender their passports and anything else you need them to."

"This isn't the first time Mr. Lockwood has been suspected of murder! He was arrested for the murder of—!"

"Thomas DiRigo, I remember Mr. Anderson," the judge droned. "I also remember nothing came of those charges since he was consequently spending that entire week and the three months after that in an asylum monitored 24 hours a day."

"Your honor, these men murdered a 7-year-old and a 5-month pregnant woman. Surely that's cause for remand at least."

"Mr. Lockwood is also an advocate against violence, especially against women and children. He gives back continuously and generously to this city. He has no reason to kill her, her family or the other two victims. And Mr. Gilbert-Lockwood has not spoken to the victims since he was removed from the orphanage at eighteen. He had no reason to be in contact with the people hat abused him for years."

"But they have motive to kill them."

"Enough," the judge said firmly. "Bail will be set at $1,000,000 for both defendants. Make sure your clients don't leave the country Ms. Starr."

"Noted, your honor," Andie nodded.

"Both preliminary hearings will be held in three days," the judge called as the gavel came down. Noise erupted immediately as the paparazzi tripped over themselves to snap a picture of the infamous couple. Tyler and Jeremy were immediately relieved of their handcuffs and escorted through the side door they had entered through, surrounded by Andie, their defense team and the rest of their family.

When they stepped outside they were immediately bombarded with cameras, reporters shouting questions at them and shoving microphones in their faces. Andie drew the attention of the media away from the others in order to answer questions and the others used the distraction as an opportunity to escape to the parking garage.

"Take my car. Both of you go home and stay there," Carol demanded as she handed Tyler the keys to her shiny black BMW. "I'll come by later to check on you."

"Thanks Mom," Tyler sighed as he hugged her.

"You and I will talk later," she murmured before pulling away.

Jeremy didn't say a word to him as he pulled out of the parking lot onto the street and then onto the freeway. He turned the radio on to drown out the tense silence that surrounded them. They were nearly home when he finally spoke, unable to take the silence any longer.

"How're you holding up?"

"As well as I can, I guess," Jeremy shrugged. Tyler waited for more and became frustrated when it didn't come.

"I'm so sorry Jer. I never meant for you to get caught up in my mess," he said softly. Jeremy snorted.

"I'm sure you never meant for me to find out either."

"No," he admitted. "I didn't want you involved and I knew you wouldn't understand."

"Understand _what_ Tyler? Understand that you _killed twelve people_?" Jeremy finally exploded. "How the hell am I supposed to understand something like that?"

"I told you they were bad," he said firmly.

"That doesn't mean you get to kill them! I can't believe you would even think that was an acceptable solution!" he screamed. "How could you do something like that?"

"You can't tell me you're upset that they're dead after all the hell they put you through!" Tyler snapped back as he made a sharp, sloppy turn off the freeway and onto their main street.

"I'm upset because my husband is about to be tried for their murders! I was finally happy and coping with what I went through and I was okay! Now it's all screwed up!" Jeremy screamed. "Why couldn't you have just left it alone?"

"Because I can't do that Jer! I can't just leave something like that alone! How am I supposed to leave it alone when _you_ can't even leave it alone?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You would wake up screaming, sometimes in _tears_ , when you would have dreams about them and what they did to you. I would hold you and listen to you cry for your parents, for Vicki and for me to save you night after night. You isolated yourself from the entire world because of what _they_ did to you! You were afraid of everyone and everything because of their abuse! And instead of being punished, they get decent jobs, homes in good areas, families," he gave a harsh laugh. "They have everything that you should've gotten but you were given the crappy apartment with a minimum wage job and those assholes are enjoying lives that should've never been theirs. So how could you expect me to leave it alone when your suffering is all I see?"

Jeremy watched his jaw muscle twitch in anger and he sighed heavily, feeling the anger and fight within him drain out. His head was starting to hurt from the yelling and from everything that happened in the past few days. He was so exhausted that he just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep until he was needed. And he was especially tired of being upset with Tyler despite what he did.

Silence took over for the rest of the car ride. When they finally parked in the roundabout driveway Jeremy was more than relieved. He unbuckled his seatbelt and threw the car door open quickly. Tyler followed after him hastily, only just remembering to lock the door.

"What do you want me to do Jeremy? Do you want me to turn myself in?" he demanded. "If that's what you want then just say it!"

"Of course it's not!" he whirled around. "That's the point Tyler! I don't want you to go to prison despite all of this! But I don't understand how you could do this and expect me to be okay with it! Why do you even think that is ever okay?"

A light cough behind him had him spinning around quickly and he blanched. Hayley Marshall stood on the last step of Tyler's mansion, watching them with curiosity and a little amusement. Jeremy was so startled by her presence that he nearly missed the way her stomach protruded out and stretched her once tight shirt.

"Am I interrupting?" she batted her lashes. Jeremy looked at Tyler, who only stared back in confusion.

"What're you doing here Hayley?" the billionaire sighed. "We've got nothing to talk about."

"Yes we do," her hand fell to her stomach. "I'd say we have plenty."

Jeremy's mouth dropped as she rubbed the bump. His headache grew more intense as he realized what Hayley was telling them. Tyler stared at her round belly as if it were a demon.

"Oh God no," he breathed, feeling more nauseous by the moment.

"This is a fucking joke," he snapped shakily as he glared at her stomach with all of his anger. "You can't possibly be suggesting what I think you are."

"I'm four months along Tyler. The doctor determined that I conceived around the end of September. Specifically the week you went to the hospital for your overdose," Hayley said. "It's possible."

It was the worst thing Jeremy could've heard at that moment. He wanted to call her a liar. He wanted her to be wrong. The sad reality was that they all knew the possibility of Tyler being the father was more likely than not. When he looked at Tyler's face and saw all of his anger and sadness and fear and anxiety, he saw the bright future he envisioned for them dim rapidly and fade into black.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty dark and disturbing! There's a lot of emotional and physical abuse as well as psychological manipulation so if you don't like reading about any of these things then skip this chapter! Also, there is Dominant/submissive role reversal.

Numb was the only way Jeremy could accurately describe how he felt after Hayley dropped her life-changing news. He barely remembered moving from the front of the house to the parlor and sitting on the couch across from her huge stomach, staring at it as if it were an atomic bomb coming to destroy his life. He thought he would like the atomic bomb more than this, since Hayley basically made his already fragile life implode. His resentment for her nearly rivaled that of his resentment for Mikael.

“So you’re keeping it,” Tyler said gruffly as he placed one hand on Jeremy’s knee. He resisted pushing it away.

“Yes,” she put a hand on her belly. Jeremy felt his lip curl in disgust as she rubbed it and looked away.

The billionaire snorted, “You’re a drug addict.”

“Not anymore,” she smiled. “I checked myself into that rehab facility you went to the moment I found out I was pregnant. You were right, about me needing to get clean. This was the wake-up call I needed.”

Tyler snorted again as he stood to pace. Hayley sucked her bottom lip into her mouth as she watched him. Jeremy took the silence as an opportunity to really look her over; she did look much healthier than the last time he saw her. Her hair was dry and frizzy but no longer stringy and limp; dark spots that once littered her skin were now faded and a healthy glow surrounded her. Despite her tight clothing being stretched out by the baby bump, he looked better than she ever had, Jeremy was loathed to admit. She looked like she wanted to be a mother…and it repulsed him.

“Why didn’t you say anything when you found out?”

“You had a lot on your plate in the past few months. I knew you weren’t going to take it well,” she shrugged. “But now that you’re possibly going to prison for the rest of your life, I thought you’d want to know you’re leaving a child behind.”

“It’s not mine.” “It’s not his,” Jeremy and Tyler snapped at the same time. Hayley looked amused despite their hostility.

“I know this is the last thing you want to hear considering you just got married but I thought it was best we talk about this sooner rather than later. Congratulations, by the way.”

“You can keep your congratulations,” Jeremy retorted. “He’s not the father.”

“It is a possibility—”

“You’re not exactly known for keeping your legs closed Hayley. It could be any number of people. We all know he’s one of many possibilities.”

“Jer,” Tyler murmured.

“You have some nerve coming here _now_ , when you know he’s at a low point and dumping this on him!” his voice grew to a yell. “Your excuse of wanting him to know about his child is bullshit. What the hell do you want from us?”

She smiled, which infuriated him more.

“This isn’t about money, or some ploy to get Tyler to marry me so I can become the next Mrs. Lockwood. I would never dream of competing with you,” she laughed lightly. “I learned in rehab that I need to take responsibility for my actions and face my problems instead of running from them. I’m doing what is responsible, not for money, but because it’s the right thing to do.”

Jeremy snorted, “You wanted to do the right thing? You could’ve started with getting an abortion.”

“Jer!” Tyler said in surprise. He ignored him as he stood.

“First you put him in a coma and now this. Do you think it’s fun messing up people’s lives Hayley? Because that’s all you ever seem to do!” he spat. “You chose Tyler to be the father because he’s got the most money out of everyone you’ve slept with! You can’t marry him, so having his baby is the next best thing!”

She gazed at him with such sympathy and understanding that he wanted to throttle her. His hands curled into fists at his side to keep from doing just that.

“I think you should go,” Tyler said after another tense silence.

Jeremy watched them leave with barely restrained anger. He stormed up the stairs into his personal room and slammed the door hard. He let out a frustrated scream and picked up the first thing on the dresser, a framed picture of him and Caroline, and threw it across the room onto his bed. It bounced against the blankets before it landed.

Silently, he dropped onto his bed and dropped his head into his hands. After being arrested for a crime he had no part in he didn’t think his life could get much worse but, miraculously, he was proven wrong. And once again, it was Tyler’s fault. _All_ of it was Tyler’s fault. Jeremy didn’t think anyone had screwed with his life as much as Tyler had and it angered him greatly.

When his leg wouldn’t stop bouncing from anxiety and anger he stood and started pacing. His head was pounding and he was exhausted and he really wanted to sleep but he was so angry and agitated he knew he wouldn’t be able to.

“Jeremy,” there was a knock on his door and he froze at the other end of his room. Tyler entered, face full of shame, worry and sadness.

“I am…so sorry baby,” he whispered sorrowfully. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

When he started coming closer Jeremy took steps back and shook his head.

“I can’t do this with you right now,” he winced when a sharp pain went through his head. “Just leave me alone.”

“We have to talk about this. _All_ of it,” Tyler said as he kept walking. “The longer we wait to talk about it the more you’ll resent me.”

 _Too late for that_ , the orphan thought viciously. He stepped out of Tyler’s reach when he tried to pull him in close and shook his head again despite the pain.

“I’m serious Tyler. I _can’t_ ,” he snapped. “Please go away.”

“I know you’re pissed at me for getting arrested and for this but I promise you Jeremy, I’m going to make everything right,” Tyler kept speaking as if he hadn’t said anything and it further agitated him. “I need you to know that I’m going to do everything I can to make this right.”

“And how exactly are you going to make it _right_? Are you going to tell Hayley to abort her baby? Are you going to kill her?” Jeremy sneered nastily. “You don’t just make something like that right Tyler. Not even your money could make it right.”

“We’ll find a solution. We always do,” Tyler gave him a hopeful smile. He didn’t return it.

“How many times did you fuck her?” Jeremy snapped, catching him completely off guard.

“Why does that matter?”

“How many times? Was she the only one? You know what, don’t answer that because I already know she _wasn’t_ ,” he sneered at him. “How many other women should I expect to come to your doorstep to tell you about children they’re having?”

“None! It’s not like that Jer!”

“How the hell would you know? You were so fucked up those four months I was gone you have no idea how many people you were with, do you?”

When Tyler looked away he laughed harshly.

“I honestly don’t know if you’re the bigger tramp or if she is. Maybe you two should’ve gotten married instead. You’re already well on your way to a perfect little family with her aren’t you?” he yelled.

“I’m sorry Jer,” Tyler murmured, hurt by his words. “I didn’t know that this would happen.”

“Just like you didn’t think you’d be caught for killing twelve people?” Jeremy gave a mirthless laugh as he shook his head. “Jesus Tyler. How you can think your actions don’t have consequences is beyond me.”

“I _will_ fix this! I promise, just give me a chance!” he pleaded, coming closer to his husband with each sentence. “I swear to you right now that I’ll do _everything_ I can to make it up to you and make all of this right but I need you to be on my side Jer.”

“I’ve _been_ on your side Tyler! And look where that’s gotten me: a criminal husband who’s fathering a child with another woman!”

“We don’t know if it’s mine yet!”

“I wouldn’t doubt it, with my luck.”

Tyler looked away. A tense silence filled the room as they each struggled with what to say.

“Do you want this baby?” Jeremy finally asked the question he’d been dreading to answer. “Be honest with me.”

“I…I’ve never even thought about it,” he said quietly.

“Well you might want to start now, because it’ll be here before you know it.”

“I always knew I’d have them…but not from a random hook-up,” he stared at Jeremy pleadingly. “What do you want me to say Jer?”

“I want you to be honest. I want you to tell me if I’m going to have to compete with your love child and Hayley Marshall for the rest of my life, and if I’m going to have to learn to tolerate a woman I despise because she’s the mother of _your_ child. I want to know if your priorities are with that baby so I know whether or not this marriage is even worth fighting for.”

“Of course it is! Why the hell would you even say that?” Tyler gaped at him. “You’re _always_ my first priority Jer!”

“You won’t be saying that when it gets here! It’s going to need attention and you’re not just going to ignore your own kid!”

Tyler felt ill, “So what are you saying?”

The silence seemed to stretch on forever.

“I don’t know if I want to fight for our relationship for the rest of my life,” he said finally. “I don’t know if I can handle all of this on top of everything else.”

The words made Tyler’s world drop from under him. A huge lump in his throat formed and nearly closed it.

“You can’t leave. Not now,” he choked hoarsely as he closed the distance between them and pulled Jeremy into his arms.

“Get off of me,” he snapped as he pushed him away. He brought a hand to his head as his headache grew increasingly worse.

“Don’t leave me,” Tyler’s hands were on his face and they made him feel hot and smothered. “I’ll tell her to get an abortion or to put it up for adoption. I’ll pay her to leave Nivea and never come back. I’ll do _anything_.”

“Tyler, let me go,” Jeremy hissed as he pushed against his shoulders. “Get out of my room, _please_.”

“Don’t go,” the billionaire mumbled as he held onto him. “Don’t leave me Jer.”

“Get _off_!”

He was knocked out of his stupor when Jeremy’s open palm connected with his face. He stumbled slightly to the left, staring at his husband with wide eyes. Jeremy stormed towards him and shoved him hard enough to send him to the floor onto his back. Another open-hand slap made his face hit the carpet, then another, and then he was holding Jeremy’s arms down to keep him from hitting him anymore.

“What the hell?” he cried as his husband struggled to get free.

“Why did you sleep with her?” he screamed as he assaulted him. “How could you be so _stupid_?”

“Calm down!” Tyler wrapped his legs around him and forced him down. He hadn’t anticipated Jeremy kneeing him in the side and flipping them so that he was the one being pinned underneath. He barely felt the first punch because of adrenaline and confusion and worry over what the hell had just come over Jeremy, but he felt the next few in rhythm: left, right, left, right again. Jeremy was going to hate himself when he realized what he’d done but he didn’t say anything as he let the orphan get this rage out of his system.

“You selfish bastard! You ruined _everything_!” Jeremy snarled as he pounded his chest with closed fists. He threw a sharp punch directly to Tyler’s nose and the billionaire felt it crack under the force. Jeremy next punch caught him in the eye and he groaned in pain.

When he felt Jeremy’s momentum slowing down, he shoved him away and threw himself on top of him to pin his wrists to the ground. Jeremy bucked and struggled underneath him while trying to scratch him with his free hand. His nails scraped against Tyler’s swollen eye and he hissed in pain, giving Jeremy the opportunity he needed to wrap his legs around Tyler’s waist and throw him into the dresser. His shoulder hit it hard enough to pop the drawers open and objects on the top shelf to fall.

“Will you _stop_?” Tyler finally yelled as he crawled away from him. He got to his feet as Jeremy sat on his knees. His husband stared at him with a ferocity that Tyler had never seen before.

“You need to calm down Jeremy. Beating the shit out of me isn’t going to make any of this better,” he growled.

“But it’s alright for you to go kill people when they piss you off?” Jeremy shot back as he got to his feet. “You’re such a hypocrite.”

“Those were different circumstances.”

“Of course they are, because you’re the perfect Tyler Lockwood! Nothing you ever do is wrong, is it?” he sneered at him. “Trevor was right about you and everyone else believing that you could do no wrong. I defended you against him, but he was so right.”

“I killed them for _you_! I killed them because they hurt _you_!”

“You killed them for _you_! Don’t you _dare_ turn that around on me! I didn’t tell you to kill those people! You did it because you wanted revenge!”

“Damn right I wanted revenge and you know what Jeremy? I don’t regret killing _any_ of them!” he spat. “They deserved everything they fucking got!”

Jeremy ran a hand over his face with a disbelieving chuckle.

“You’re no better than Mikael,” he glared at him. The muscles in Tyler’s jaw twitched and he felt his own anger and hurt start to rise.

“Don’t you _ever_ compare me to that asshole again,” his voice became dangerously low. “I’m tolerating a lot of bullshit from you right now Jeremy but if you think I’m going to let you compare me to my father’s killer you’re out of your goddamned mind.”

“As if I haven’t tolerated _your_ bullshit!” Jeremy’s voice grew with ire. “I’ve tolerated more for you than anyone else would have! I gave up my _entire_ life for you, even after you took it from me without my permission! I killed for you, lied to the police for you, lied to my _own best friend_ about the kind of man you are and you have the audacity to say you’re tolerating a lot from me? No one else would do _anything_ like what I have for you so don’t _ever_ go there!”

Tyler laughed harshly, “The kind of man I am? I took you in when you were beaten within an inch of your life, nourished you back to health and allowed you to stay in my house without paying a dime! I could’ve thrown your ass back out on the streets and I didn’t! _That’s_ the kind of man I am Jeremy! You wouldn’t have _any_ of this if it weren’t for me, so don’t ever forget that!”

“I never _wanted_ any of this Tyler, you assumed I did! You always forget that you blackmailed me into staying here so you could sleep with me! I gave up my life for you and you screwed with my head and nearly got me killed! That isn’t the kind of life I signed up for!”

Another tense silence enveloped him, this one so thick with tension that a knife couldn’t cut through it. Tyler stared at him as if he were seeing him for the first time, and Jeremy felt guilt and dread turning in his stomach from his words. They were low blows and he regretted them instantly.

“I didn’t mean that,” he said quietly. Tyler chuckled darkly.

“Oh yes you did. You meant every word,” he said too calmly for Jeremy’s liking. “Well now I know how you really feel.”

“Tyler—”

“You always complain about how I blackmailed you into staying here, but we both know you had the option of walking out and you _didn’t_. Why? Because you know damn well your life was worthless until I came and made it worthwhile by making you my bitch.”

The orphan’s mouth dropped when he smirked.

“Do you know how easy it was to get you to submit to me? You played right into my game without even realizing it. You fell for every stupid trick I threw at you. It wasn’t long before you were begging me to fuck you. Remember that Jer?” he chuckled darkly. Jeremy’s anger started to return and he clenched his fists by his sides.

“You’re an asshole,” he snarled through gritted teeth. “You’re trying to make me angry.”

“No, I’m telling you the truth since you want to go there,” he gave him an infuriating smirk. “You were nothing but a scrawny little boy and I turned you into a man. Everything you are, everything you own is because of me. I _own_ you Jeremy. Every single part of you.”

Jeremy was furious with himself for letting Tyler’s words get to him, but they did, and they hurt. If Tyler was trying to piss him off, he was doing a damn good job of it.

“And you know I do. You know I own you and that’s why you’ll never leave, even when you say you will,” he smirked. “You would be _nothing_ without me.”

He stormed forward angrily and shoved Tyler hard into the wall. His head hit it with a low thump and his teeth clashed together but he managed to keep his smirk, which pissed Jeremy off further. Tyler chuckled and he slammed his hand into the wall by his head.

“Shut the fuck up!” he screamed in his face. “This isn’t a fucking joke Tyler!”

The billionaire merely smirked and Jeremy wondered how he could _still_ be so smug with a bloody nose and an eye that was nearly swollen shut. They were nose to nose now, and Jeremy was torn between hitting him some more and wanting to kiss the stupid smirk away.

“Well, well,” Tyler chuckled as he looked down and saw Jeremy’s semi-hard cock in his jeans, “Someone has a fetish for violence.”

“What?” he snapped, completely caught off guard. Tyler cupped the front of his jeans and he hopped back immediately. The billionaire laughed again.

“Hurting me is turning you on,” he said lowly. “You’re a sadist.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You like that you can hurt me knowing I won’t hit you back,” his smirk grew. “It feels good to take advantage of someone, doesn’t it?”

Jeremy’s heart pounded as he came closer and he backed away quickly. Tyler followed regardless.

“You like hitting me, just like you liked killing Mikael. You didn’t kill him to save me, you killed him for _revenge_ ,” he chuckled darkly as he repeated Jeremy’s earlier words. “You think I’m no better than Mikael? I think you need to take a good look in the mirror.”

“ _Shut-up_!” Jeremy screamed even louder than before. “I’m fucking warning you Tyler, shut the fuck up!”

“Or what?” he challenged. “You’re still my little bitch. You won’t do anything.”

Jeremy let out a scream of pure fury and punched him hard enough to make him stumble. He punched Tyler again and sent him to the floor near the coffee table. The billionaire spit blood onto the white carpet and gave a raspy laugh as he stood.

“You even hit like my little bitch,” he chuckled meanly. “I thought Alaric taught you how to defend yourself.”

“Stop trying to piss me off!” Jeremy roared.

“Why can’t you just admit that you like that you finally have power over someone that won’t overpower you?”

“I don’t! I’m not sick like you!”

“Your dick says otherwise,” he smirked. “So come on Jer. I know you can hit harder than that.”

Jeremy narrowed his eyes in an attempt to see through the pounding pain in his head. It was dull and unrelenting and growing with each moment he spent standing.

“C’mon Jer. Show me you’re not a punk,” Tyler took slow steps towards him. “Show me how bad you are.”

 _Don’t let him get to you, don’t let him make you mad_ , Jeremy closed his eyes to block out Tyler’s taunting, but that only seemed to make the pain in his head worse. He opened his eyes and he was in front of him, giving him that smirk and before he knew what he was doing he was swinging his fist into Tyler’s face again. His head swung to the side sharply but he recovered fast enough to grab his other wrist and attempted to twist it behind his back to disarm him.

“You’re disappointing me Jer,” he crooned tauntingly. “I thought you knew how to fight.”

“Go to hell!” he spat as he snatched his arm out of his hold. Suddenly Tyler surged forward and forced their lips together. The action caught Jeremy off guard and he pushed him away hastily.

“The hell is _wrong_ with you?”

“Don’t play stupid,” he smiled with bloody teeth. “I know you want to overpower me. Well here’s your chance _babe_.”

“You’re so fucked up,” Jeremy shook his head that was now pounding with pain. “I don’t even know who you are right now.”

“But I know you. And you’re too much of a pussy to take me like a man because you’ll always only be a submissive.”

The pain in Jeremy’s head reached a new level and his ears started to ring. It didn’t stop him from lunging for Tyler once again and they landed on the floor by the coffee table. The ringing was so loud he couldn’t hear Tyler’s taunts anymore as he hit him again, as he bent him over the coffee table, as they fumbled with their pants, as he gave him the pain he was looking for.

* * *

“Still not answering,” Mason sighed as Caroline’s voicemail started speaking to him again for the fourth time.

“She missed Jeremy and Tyler’s arraignment,” Damon frowned. “She knew it was today, right?”

“I doubt she even knows if they have been arrested,” Katherine sighed heavily. “I have not seen her in two days. She is never awake when I leave for work and she is gone when I come back. Sometimes she does not return home until the early morning.”

Damon winced as he watched the brunette struggle to hold back tears. Katherine looked as exhausted as he felt and he felt guilty that he wasn’t doing more to help the blonde. He felt even guiltier at the two pieces of life changing mail in his pocket that he planned on sharing but no longer felt he should.

“I am worried that one day she will not come home at all,” she wiped her eyes.

“Don’t say that,” Damon said gently. “We’ll get her help.”

“How? We can’t force her into rehab.”

“We can 51/50 her. She’s a danger to herself. The police can hold her for 72 hours while we get Carol or Andie to get a court order that demands she go to rehab.”

“And if she refuses?”

“She’ll be arrested and forced to go,” Mason shrugged when they gaped at him. “It’s tough love guys. It worked for Tyler.”

“Tyler is also not a victim of rape,” Katherine glared at him. “We are not going to lock Caroline up after she was held in a cell against her will to be a sex worker!”

“This won’t be anything like that. She’ll be comfortable and safe. If you don’t want this situation to repeat then you have to do what’s necessary Kat,” he said softly. “I know it’s harsh but think about how her life will be if she relapses. She could die.”

“He’s right. Tyler was lucky enough to be paralyzed and colorblind,” Damon took her hand between his. “We’ll give her 24-hours. If she hasn’t come home then we need to act.”

The brunette’s face crumpled as she nodded. She wiped her eyes with her manicured hand, smearing black eyeliner and mascara across her olive skin.

“Katherine Pierce?”

They all turned their heads when two police officers approached them.

“Can we help you?” Mason asked with an edge.

“We’re looking for Caroline Forbes. We need to question her about Tyler Lockwood and Jeremy Gilbert regarding the ongoing murder investigation.”

They looked at each other worriedly.

“She is currently preoccupied,” Katherine answered smoothly, any trace of her tears gone. “Perhaps you can speak to her another day.”

“Or she can make herself available in 24-hours,” the skinny blonde man with a protruding mole on the side of his eyebrow handed her papers folded in half.

“You can’t arrest her for this,” Damon’s eyes narrowed as he read through the judge’s order. “What the hell are you playing at?”

“If the judge wants her, we can. She has 24-hours to produce herself to officers of the Nivea police department before we bring her in by force.”

“She doesn’t know anything,” he snapped.

“That’s for the police and a judge to decide.”

“This situation keeps getting better and better,” Damon chuckled wryly as they walked away. “If we don’t have her arrested then the cops will.”

“Which is more incentive for us to get that court order,” Mason sighed as he stood. “I’ll call Jenna and have her start the paperwork for the psych hold.”

They watched him walk away in silence. Katherine let out another heavy sigh and she flipped through the papers before throwing them on the ground.

“We are doing the right thing?” she asked Damon with somber eyes. “Tell me that we are doing the right thing for her.”

“We are,” he squeezed her hand again. She laced their fingers together and squeezed their hands before pulling hers away.

When Mason was off the phone they paid for their drinks before driving back to their side of town. By the time Katherine reached the mansion it was evening and the sun had nearly set. She entered through the garage door and felt chills go up her spine when there were no lights, no heater on and no indicator that anyone was home.

“Hello?” she called as she walked through the parlor and living room. Finding no one, she went to the kitchen and greeted Dolly with a kiss to the cheek.

“Have you seen the boys or Caroline?”

“ _Si_. Mister Lockwood and Jeremy are here. They came in with a woman. She’s ready to pop, the ugly _puta_ ,” the cook wrinkled her nose.

“What?” she asked in alarm. “Who?”

“She gave him the drugs,” she huffed. “She is a liar and she only want Mister Lockwood’s money. She is trying to get rid of poor Jeremy!”

“What do you mean?”

“She say the father of her baby is Mister Lockwood,” Dolly sighed in distress. “I hear the whole thing Miss Katherine. She is trying to get rid of Jeremy so she can marry Mister Lockwood for money.”

Katherine gasped as she covered her mouth.

“You are absolutely certain that it was Hayley?” she asked.

“ _Si_. She is ugly but I do not forget her face,” she gazed at her. “They are both so upset. I could hear it all the way from here.”

“Hear what?”

“The fight,” she clucked her tongue against her teeth. “I tell myself not to disturb them…but it was so loud and there was so much yelling I went to see what was wrong but the door was locked. I hear everything. No good Miss Katherine, no good.”

Katherine’s mind spun with this new information. She should’ve known it wouldn’t have been the last of Hayley in their lives but she couldn’t have come at a worse time. It wouldn’t have surprised her if the wench planned on coming to Tyler just as he was possibly facing a trial, no doubt to collect her millions in child support.

“I will check on them,” she gave her a reassuring smile. “Have you seen Caroline?”

“ _No_ , I have not seen her today,” Dolly clicked her tongue against her teeth again in disproval. “She very sick Miss Katherine. She need lots of help.”

“I know.”

The baby was still on her mind when she reached Tyler’s room first. She opened the door but the room was empty. Frowning, she moved down to their play rooms and listened carefully but heard nothing. Going around to the other side, she knocked on Jeremy’s door and called for them, but still received no answer.

“Jeremy? Tyler?” she called as she knocked again. She relaxed when she heard movement from the other side. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

The doorknob twisted slowly and the door was opened slightly.

“We’re fine,” Jeremy said roughly. She frowned at the quality of his voice.

“Is something the matter? You sound upset.”

He shook his head. “Just sleeping.”

Her frown deepened when she caught sight of his face, how devoid of emotion and expressionless he was.

“Would you like Dolly to make you dinner? You and Tyler must be hungry.”

“We’ll eat later,” his voice was monotonous. “Goodnight Katherine.”

He closed the door and locked it before she could say another word. Blinking, she raised her hand to knock again before she thought better of it. It was the first time that she had heard Jeremy call her by name in a long time and she couldn’t help but be bothered by the tone of it.

Sighing, she made her way to her own room and shut the door gently. She half expected to see Caroline sitting in bed wearing the nightgowns she found so appealing and her heart ached when she didn’t. Throwing her purse on the ground next to her dresser, she kicked off her shoes and shimmied out of her blue pencil skirt before collapsing onto her bed.

It was dark when the buzzing of her cellphone jerked her out of sleep. She stumbled to the floor as she felt around for her purse, yawning when she finally pulled it out and gasping when she saw Caroline’s name on her screen.

“Darling?”

“Hi…is this Katherine Pierce?”

Katherine’s heart leapt in her throat when a male voice answered instead. She couldn’t help but immediately think something was terribly wrong. “Y-Yes?”

“My name is Jesse. I’m a bartender at The Havana Cabana Lounge in District 3. You were the first number in Caroline’s recent missed calls so I thought you’d want to know that she’s passed out in our back room.”

Katherine sighed in relief but that was quickly replaced by worry.

“I will be there soon,” she murmured before hanging up.

Quickly pulling her work attire back on, the Bulgarian fashion designer grabbed her purse and ran to the garage. She hopped in her Mercedes and sped downtown twenty miles over the speed limit, her fear propelling her to drive recklessly as she swerved in and out of traffic. By the time she reached the bar, she was nearly responsible for two car accidents.

She parked in an unauthorized handicapped area and stormed to the front door. She thrust her I.D. at the bouncer when he stopped her, lip curling in disgust when he tried to hit on her. When she entered, it was so dim she could barely see; the only source of light came from the flashing blue and purple lights that were rotating in circles over the mass of people crowded near the DJ booth. Huffing, she turned to the large crowd in front of her and pushed her way though, shoving aside drunken and sober patrons alike until she was at the bar.

“What can I get for you miss?” a blond bartender leaned against the counter.

“I am looking for someone named Jesse. He called me about my friend Caroline. She is blonde, normally wears bagging clothing,” she told him. Realization dawned on him.

“You’re the one he was calling for the chick,” he sighed. “Well, she was here. She left about ten minutes ago with some people she said were her friends. About four males and two females, most of them dressed in black.”

The brunette’s heart stopped. “Did they say where they were going?”

“Not sure. Maybe Jesse would know. He’s working down there,” he pointed to the other end of the bar. Katherine stared at the crowd she would have to pass through to reach him in dismay.

“Jesse!” he screamed as he waved him over. He jogged to them a moment later after serving another patron their beer. “This is that woman you called for that girl that passed out!”

“Do you know where she went?” Katherine screamed over the pounding song that was shaking the floor while she shook his hand.

“She walked out of here with a couple people she met earlier. I think they went to the nightclub down the street. I tried to keep her here until you came but she said she would call you to pick her up from there,” he leaned in closer so she could hear him. “I couldn’t legally keep her here if she didn’t want to stay, sorry.”

“Thank you for trying,” she smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “I appreciate that someone has looked out for her.”

“She’s a good person. I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I could go with you to look for her if you want.”

Katherine wanted to ask how he knew she was a good person before deciding that wasn’t important at the moment. “I do not think that will be necessary.”

“Well if it is, my number is in her phone. I told her to call me if she was in trouble so you do the same,” he squeezed her hand. “Good luck.”

The Bulgarian beauty pushed her way through the crowd once more, getting out of the crowd twice as fast as she was able to push through it, and all but ran to her car. She ignored the citation that was stuck under her windshield wiper and drove thirty seconds to the dark parking lot of the nightclub that sat on the corner. Getting out the car, she realized that there were multiple bars on the next few streets and that Caroline could’ve been at any of them. Or she could’ve been at none of them and be lying in a ditch instead.

Berating herself for thinking that way, she locked her car and approached the bouncer at the front door. She displayed her I.D and paid the $20 cover fee before heading inside. Immediately she was repulsed by the stickiness on the floor and mentally mourned for her Louis Vuitton pumps. The air was smoky and smelled of sex and it made her skin crawl. It nearly reminded her of the strip club where she had first seen her blonde lover.

After asking the bartenders and receiving no helpful answer, she wandered to the dance floor which was surrounded by cages with go-go dancers covered in neon body paint and tiny bikinis. People were pressed against each other tightly, grinding against each other to the thumping beat that was coming from the massive DJ system that sat on a platform with two stripper poles and plush couches. Katherine watched them for a moment, wondering if she should bother asking before venturing to the second bar upstairs.

She quickly became frustrated with crashing into drunks and avoiding spilling drinks, snapping at people left and right. She rounded the corner and stopped when she saw a blonde with stringy hair dressed in the shortest sequence skirt she had ever seen and a black lace bra with the straps tucked away sitting on a man’s lap and their lips locked in a heated make-out session. She prayed for it not to be Caroline and felt her heart drop when they parted and saw that it was.

Anger replaced worry and she stormed to the couple. She yanked Caroline off of his lap and she stumbled, grabbing onto her to regain her balance.

“Katherine! You’re here!” she slurred as she tried to focus on her.

“I have been worried sick about you all day!” she snapped angrily. “And what on earth are you _wearing_?”

“It’s Melissa’s! She let me borrow it. She said you would like it,” she gushed as she twirled around for her. “Do you like it?”

It took everything in Katherine not to shake sense into her beautiful blonde head.

“Do you even know where you are?” she scowled. “Why did you not wait at the bar with Jesse?”

“Because Melissa said that this place is more fun and it is!” Caroline slid her arms around her neck. “I wanna dance for you.”

It was the first time they had been that close to each other in a long time. She would’ve enjoyed their close proximity more if Caroline didn’t reek of booze and sweat. She laid her head on Katherine’s shoulder and let out a loud burp as she started swaying.

“I wanna dance for you like I did in the club,” she sighed dreamily. “You remember how much you liked me when I danced, don’t you?”

“Very much,” she pulled her away. “You can dance for me at home if we leave right now.”

The beaming smile she gave her had Katherine unable to keep one of her own off her face. It was nice to see her smile again.

“Will you kiss me?” she pulled Katherine back to her. “After I dance for you, I won’t mind if you kiss me.”

“Then I will,” she breathed before she pushed her away. “Stay there.”

She stormed around the intoxicated blonde to glare at the man she pulled her off of. “Where are the rest of her clothes?”

“Who the hell are you?” he asked incredulously. Her eyes narrowed.

“Someone you do not want to piss off. Now what the hell did you do with her clothes?” she barked back. He looked startled for a moment before he shrugged.

“I don’t know lady. I wasn’t keepin’ track of her shit.”

Katherine resisted retorting something back as she grabbed a silver clutch that looked familiar and threw it in her purse. Turning around she halted when Caroline was no longer in her spot but rather being pushed against the railing near the stairs by another woman. Her blonde lolled back as the brunette woman’s hands felt against her breasts, pulling one of them loose from her bra, and her face buried in her neck.

“Get off of her!” she snarled furiously as she snatched the woman away. Caroline’s legs buckled and she collapsed against the rail, her head rolling on her shoulders. The other woman stumbled into people walking by and they yelled at her before tossing her further back towards the bar.

“Get up _chéri_ ,” she bent down to pick her up and scowled at the red mark the woman left on her skin. She fixed her bra before she helped her stand. The brunette woman stumbled back to them, looking woozier than she did previously.

“Where the hell are you taking Samantha?” she pointed at Caroline while wobbling on her heels. “I’ll kick your ass for touching my girlfriend you skank!”

“Her name is _not_ Samantha and she is most definitely not your girlfriend,” Katherine snapped back.

“Fuck you whore! You’re not taking my girlfriend anywhere, you hear me?” she screeched.

“We do not have time for this,” Katherine huffed as she guided Caroline around her. The blonde was yanked out of her arms the next second and hanging on to the woman that pulled her back, looking as if she were about to be ill.

“Don’t touch my girl again bitch!” she snapped, her voice reminding Katherine of a yapping Chihuahua. Before she could respond Caroline threw up all over herself and the woman’s bare feet. Katherine realized she was wearing no shoes and she laughed at her disgusted face.

“Sorry,” Caroline blubbered as she wiped her mouth with her arm. Katherine winced at her state before gently grabbing her clean arm and leading her down the stairs. They reached the bottom when she was suddenly pushed forward. She stumbled on her heels, barely having time to right herself before hands were buried deep in her hair and yanking her backwards as she was thrown to the ground. She reacted immediately, slapping, kicking and scratching any part of her assailant she could reach.

“I told you not to touch my bitch you stupid slut!”

“She is not yours!” Katherine growled as she scratched her across the chest. People scurried out of the way as they brawled on the floor, some stopping to watch, others recording the whole scene on their phones.

“Hey! Get off my girlfriend!” Caroline screamed as she kicked the woman in the stomach. She flew to the side, giving Katherine enough time to slide out of her hold.

“You fucking whore!” the woman screamed from the floor furiously. Her matted brown hair fell into her face as she stood shakily. “I knew you were a fucking cheating bitch! I should’ve left your ass in that other bar, skank!”

Katherine threw her arm around Caroline quickly in an attempt for a quick getaway. However the distraught woman lunged for them again, this time her target being Caroline and she knocked them both to the ground. They fought blindly for a moment before they were saved by a security guard pulling the woman away from them.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” another guard offered his hand to Katherine and she took it. Caroline thrashed and screamed as a security guard three times her size pulled her away from the other woman as they slapped and scratched each other. He shook her hard for a moment and she stilled, looking dazed before she was throwing up again, this time all over the guard. He cried out and shoved her away in disgust, causing her to trip over her own feet and crash to the floor hard.

“Care!” she cried as she ran forward, pushing the man out the way. The blonde whimpered when she tried to help her stand and she collapsed again. Her hand flew to her foot.

“My ankle,” she whined. Katherine glared at the guards furiously.

“How dare you put your hands on her?”

“She threw up on me!” he snapped back. “Get her the hell out of here!”

“You need to leave,” another man, the head of security, told them sternly.

“With pleasure,” Katherine snarled back at him. She helped the injured blonde to her feet and scooped her into her arms before she carried her outside. She shivered in her arms and whimpered when the cold air hit her.

“The car is close,” she murmured soothingly as she retraced her steps to the car. Caroline moaned in discomfort.

“My ankle hurts,” she said throatily. “I think I broke it.”

“You only twisted it. We will put ice on it when we get home.”

“Will you kiss it and make it better?” she pleaded.

“Of course darling.”

“I don’t believe you. You don’t like me anymore.”

Katherine frowned, “Why would you say that darling?”

“You and Damon don’t miss me, or talk to me, or look at me. But I don’t like me either,” she slurred miserably. “I have to pee really bad.”

“Darling, of _course_ we like you. We all love you,” Katherine murmured gently. She caught three men watching them out the corner of her eye as they passed by and she picked up her pace inconspicuously to the alley. Caroline squirmed to get down and she rushed into an alley to handle her business.

“What did you mean when you said you did not like yourself?” she asked when she was done. She caught the blonde around the waist when she tried to walk and crumpled on her swollen ankle.

“I’m dirty, and gross, and neurotic, and a psycho,” she groaned as she leaned against the wall. “And now I’m a cripple.”

“You are _none_ of those things. You are a beautiful woman who went through something horrible and you are trying to deal with it the best way you can,” she soothed as she pushed her matted curls out of her eyes. “Do not ever say such terrible things about yourself again.”

Caroline suddenly leaned forward and kissed her so hard their teeth clashed. Katherine pushed her away gently and held her against the wall. She tasted like the mint gum she fished out of her purse for her earlier. They stared at each other for a moment in the dark, then she pushed the blonde into the wall and kissed her the way she wanted to for weeks. Caroline pulled her closer, hands sliding down her back as Katherine’s hands held her face tightly, kissing her thoroughly until they couldn’t breathe. They pulled apart panting, staring at each other with bright eyes.

“That’s sexy.”

Both their heads turned when they saw three men approaching them. Katherine immediately felt fear as they ogled them with smirks.

“You guys dikes?” the first one that spoke asked. “Y’all too fine for all that bullshit.”

“I bet I could change that real quick,” another wiggled his eyebrows at them. He smirked at Caroline, “I could teach you how to take dick.”

“Leave,” the brunette snapped as she subtly stepped in front of Caroline. They snickered.

“What’s your name baby?” the third one cooed as he stepped forward and touched Katherine’s cheek. She slapped his hand away and took a couple steps back, forcing Caroline back too.

“I said _leave_ ,” she hissed, her eyes narrowing.

“Someone’s got an attitude,” the first one chuckled. “Let me help you get rid of that.”

“Hey!”

The three men turned to face Jesse approaching them. Katherine watched warily as he came closer with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl on his face.

“Is there a problem fellas?”

They snickered as they looked at each other.

“There won’t be if you mind your business and keep walking,” the first one snarled at him.

Jesse pulled his hand out of his pocket and revealed a black handgun. Katherine’s heart leapt into her throat and she carefully guided Caroline backwards.

“I’m gonna ask one more time. Is there a problem?” he growled. The men laughed again, this time sounding more nervous.

“C’mon,” the first one told the other two before they ran down the alley and disappeared into the shadows. Jesse put the gun back in his pocket.

“You guys alright?”

“Yes,” Katherine gave him a shaky smile. “How did you know we were here?”

“The bouncer at the door told me you went this way. I pass by that club on my way home, so I stopped by to see if you were okay,” he caught Caroline’s eye and he smiled. “How’re you doing Caroline?”

“Not so good,” she slurred as she fell sideways. “I drank too much.”

“Will you help me get her into the car?” Katherine asked. Jesse nodded and scooped the drunk blonde into his arms the way she had done earlier. Exiting the small alley, they walked to the only vehicle sitting in the front row. She opened the back door and he laid her down before taking off his jacket and throwing it over her. She mumbled something that sounded like thank you before she passed out.

“Where’re the rest of her clothes? She wasn’t wearing this earlier,” Jesse frowned.

“Lost. I will replace them,” she sighed. “Thank you for helping us.”

He only smiled as she opened the car door.

“Wait,” he grabbed her arm. He pulled out his wallet and handed her a business card.

“He’s a friend of mine. He’s a therapist that works specifically with rape victims that are a part of the…kink community,” he said softly. “He helps people re-assimilate to their roles and to the lifestyle in general after they’ve been assaulted.”

She took the card with wide eyes. It was plain, white and stiff with the name Dr. Maxfield written in red cursive on the top.

“How did you know she was…?”

“She told me when she was drunk. I’m sorry if I’m coming off too bold. I just hate seeing people turn to the bottle when there’s another way. I just want to do something to help her.”

“I appreciate that,” Katherine gave him a small smile.

* * *

Jeremy awoke before Tyler that morning, the sun just barely rising as his eyes fluttered open. The dull pain had lessened in his head but it was still present. Confusion overtook him briefly before he remembered all that happened the night before. He saw Tyler lying next to him with his shirt on and his pants missing. Jeremy nearly winced at the state of his face. He hadn’t realized he’d caused so much damage.

Leaning over, he lifted his shirt and surveyed his back and shoulders. He found no bruises or cuts, much to his relief. He didn’t dare look lower, for he already knew the kind of damage that was done there. Tyler would be sore when he woke and he felt a twinge of regret. The pain in his head sharpened for a moment before regressing.

Moving silently, he went into the bathroom and washed off the night before with a long, hot shower. His skin was red and splotchy by the time he got out from scrubbing so hard. He moved as if he were on autopilot as he completed his morning routine and cleaned his room as best he could. When there was nothing else for him to do he lay back in bed next to his husband and stared blankly at the ceiling.

He didn’t wonder about what happened or how or why because he knew the answer to all those things. He wanted to hurt Tyler and he did. But he was angry and that wasn’t his fault. If Hayley Marshall hadn’t showed up at their front door he wouldn’t have lost his temper. If he hadn’t been sitting in a jail cell for a night being accused of a murder he had no part in, he would’ve held himself together better. And Tyler was the one who had provoked him in the end anyways so it was his fault he lost it.

He turned onto his side to watch him better, gently squeezing his neck when he groaned in his sleep. The dull pain started to throb less as he focused on him. Eventually it dulled enough for him to focus on other things, like how they were going to fix the huge mess they were in. There wasn’t much he could do about either of them going to prison for life but Hayley and the baby were different. He could actually get rid of them.

A light knock on the door interrupted his spiraling mind. He forced a smile to his face when he saw Katherine and did his best to hide his bruised hands from her view.

“Morning,” he said with as much sincerity as possible.

“How are you darling?” she murmured as she kissed his cheek.

“Fine.”

“Is Tyler awake?”

“Not yet.”

She sighed, “It is as just as well. I should not be coming to him with this.”

He frowned, “With what?”

She opened the silver clutch that was in her hand and he gasped and the number of small baggies filled with white powder.

“Where’d it come from?”

“This is Caroline’s bag. I found her at a nightclub last night with people she has never met. They are probably the ones who gave it to her,” she sighed. “I do not think it has happened yet but it is only a matter of time. Tyler would want to know.”

“Have you confronted her about this?”

“No. She is sleeping off a hangover,” she rolled her eyes. “Today she must go to the police station to be questioned. Afterwards…we are having her committed to a psychiatric ward for 72-hours until we can get a court order from Carol that demands she attend a rehabilitation center.”

“It’s for the best,” Jeremy said softly. “She needs to get better.”

“Yes,” Katherine sighed as she looked at her watch. “I must wake Caroline to take her to the police station but I do not want her to see this.”

“I’ll get rid of it,” he said softly. She gave him a grateful smile.

“Are you certain you are alright darling? You did not seem like yourself last night,” she bit her lip. “Dolly told me about Hayley and the child. I am so sorry.”

He swallowed heavily, “We don’t know if it’s his yet.”

“I hope it is not. Poor Tyler,” she sighed sadly. The doorbell rang and she excused herself to answer it. Jeremy shut the door, staring into the clutch full of cocaine and wondered how the hell he was supposed to get rid of it all. He could flush it, but that would clog the toilet and he wasn’t going to spend time opening each bag to dump out the powder. But he needed to get rid of it before Tyler woke up. Between Hayley’s pregnancy and life in prison he had more than enough reason to relapse.

An idea popped into his head and he paused. It was so wrong of him to even consider it that he was _almost_ disgusted with himself. He stared at the baggies as if it were withholding answers a moment longer before he went back into the room, found Tyler’s phone in his discarded pants before going downstairs and locating the keys to his new car. When he was sitting in the driver’s seat he found Hayley’s number, irked that Tyler hadn’t deleted it and reinforcing his decision to move ahead with his plan.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Jeremy,” he cleared his throat. “I was wondering if we could talk.”

“Oh…okay,” she said slowly. “Did you want to meet somewhere?”

“I can come to you. Just tell me where you live.”

He got her address and he promised to be there soon before hanging up and opening the garage door. As he drove on the freeway he thought about everything he wanted to say to her, how he wanted her to get rid of the baby and disappear out of their lives for good. He didn’t think about the bag full of cocaine next to him and what he intended on doing with it.

He scoffed when he pulled up to her gated community in District 2 and drove by luxurious townhouses with even more luxurious cars parked in their driveways. He parked by a mailbox in front of a tall two story house with a nice front lawn and his lip nearly curled. There was no way she worked for any of this. She was a trust fund baby, a socialite of the upper class Nivea elite. Her family probably had more money than they knew what to do with and Hayley wasted in on drugs instead of giving back to the community and now she wanted to be a mother. Not for the first time did Jeremy wish that she was the one that ended up in the coma instead of Tyler.

He marched to the front door with the clutch in his hand and knocked three times. He heard movement on the other side before it opened and he saw her wearing an oversized pajama shirt and pants that would’ve been too big on her had she not been expecting.

“I was surprised when you called,” she said instead of greeting him.

“I’m sorry about yesterday. I was angry but I shouldn’t have said all of that to you,” he forced an apologetic smile to his face. “Can I come in?”

She stepped aside and let him in. He couldn’t deny that the place was nice with posh modern artwork and furniture. A huge glass window took up the entire back wall of the living room that gave her a view of the city.

“I thought you would have still been in rehab,” he said as he sat on the couch. She sat across from him in a plush green armchair.

“I got out a week ago.”

He watched her rub her stomach and fought a grimace.

“Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?”

“Not yet. I’m supposed to find out in a month or so,” she smiled softly. “I’ve always wanted a little girl.”

Jeremy bit back a snort and smiled instead. A little girl version of his husband would’ve been more adorable if she wasn’t sharing Hayley’s genes.

“So where’s Tyler? I’m surprised he didn’t come with you.”

“He doesn’t know I’m here,” he swallowed. “I wanted to talk to you alone.”

She stared at him as she waited.

“I admire you for getting the courage to tell us about the baby. That was really brave of you. But it also came at a conveniently bad time,” he narrowed his eyes at her. “Did someone put you up to this?”

“I already told you, I thought he had a right to know. Timing has nothing to do with it.”

“Really? Because it’s hard for me to believe that you would wait until you were nearly halfway through your pregnancy to start informing the possible fathers of your baby.”

She laughed gently, “Jeremy, I know that this is a hard thing for you to accept and I apologize that you feel like I’m trying to sabotage your marriage but that’s not what’s happening here. There is no alternative plan to get rid of you and take Tyler’s money.”

“I would like to believe that. However, I believe that you were waiting for the right moment to drop this in Tyler’s lap and knowing the kind of man he is, he would’ve done everything he could to make you and your baby comfortable despite how he felt about you. Even if it wasn’t his,” his eyes narrowed. “You know who the real father is. Who is he?”

She watched him with sardonic sympathy.

“You’re desperate. I get it,” she sighed. “But if this is something that is too hard for you to accept, then maybe you should rethink your decision to stay married to Tyler. This baby is his and we both know Tyler will want to be a part of her life. I understand that you don’t want to come second to a baby but that is how parenting works Jeremy.”

He smirked as he placed Caroline’s clutch on the coffee table and slid it to her.

“Maybe you’ll want to reconsider having the baby.”

Frowning, she took the bag and popped it open. Her eyes went wide and she gaped at him before she tossed it away. She clenched and unclenched her hands as she walked to the large window then back to her chair and sat down, only to get up again seconds later.

“Did Tyler tell you to bring this?”

“No.”

“Then where the hell did you get it?”

“Does it matter?”

“I’m clean! I’ve been clean for nearly three months and how _dare_ you try to fuck that up over this petty bullshit!” she screamed at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“You come to _my_ house and tell _my_ husband that you’re having his baby and you accuse _me_ of fucking things up? Your lack of self-awareness amazes me. You and Tyler both,” he chuckled snidely. “You’re not mother material Hayley. You never will be because the drugs are always going to come first. You won’t be able to help yourself.”

“That didn’t happen to Tyler! He got clean and he stayed that way! I can do the same!”

“We both know that isn’t true. You wouldn’t be this upset if it were.”

“I’m a recovering addict and you brought drugs into my house! Of course I’m fucking upset!” she snapped as she stood. “Get the hell out of my house and don’t ever come back! And tell Tyler he can fuck off too! I want nothing to do with _either_ of you!”

“You’re not fooling anyone Hayley. The moment you have the baby you’re going to go back to your old ways. You don’t have a job; you’ve probably never worked a day in your life. You don’t have a degree and the only friends you have are the ones that party with you. You have nothing going for you except being a stay at home mom and that can get boring really fast. Sooner or later, those drugs are going to seem more and more appealing.”

“Get out!” she snarled as she shoved the bag back to him. “Shut the fuck up and get the fuck out of my house!”

He smirked as he stood and left. When she had slammed the door behind him, he set the clutch by her door. She might not do it now but he wouldn’t doubt her fragile resolve to stay clean. Manipulating her had been too easy.

His headache lessened significantly as he drove back to District 1 on the highway. Tyler’s phone was buzzing incessantly in the cup holder but he paid it no attention as he hummed with the song on the radio. He helped keep Caroline from fully relapsing and now Hayley wanted nothing to do with him or Tyler. Today was a good day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for such a long wait! If anyone is still reading, thank you so much for your patience! A million and one things have happened these past few months, but I would prefer you enjoy the chapter instead of my life story :)
> 
> WARNINGS: usuals

Matt’s eyebrows rose when he saw Vicki come downstairs that morning. Donning a floral sundress, she kissed him and Rebekah good-morning before popping two bagel halves in the toaster. Both blondes shared a look from the kitchen table where they finished their own breakfast; Matt’s burning with curiosity and Rebekah’s with a warning to keep his questions to himself.

“I’m surprised to see you this early. You’re usually still sleeping or at Damon’s,” he started carefully. The kick Rebekah delivered to his shin was expected, but still hurt nonetheless.

“I couldn’t sleep and Damon’s busy, so here I am,” she laughed as she spread butter on her perfectly toasted bagel. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“Yes he should. He does have a child to provide for,” Rebekah gave him a pointed glare.

He shrugged, “I have the day off.”

“We should do something today. If you’re up to it,” she glanced at Rebekah’s slightly bulging stomach quickly.

“I could go for a spa day,” she batted her blue eyes at Matt, her black lashes coated with mascara brushing the skin just under her eyes. “My back has been starting to ache as of late.”

“I gave you an hour long massage yesterday. How could it _still_ hurt?”

“Our son is heavy,” she gave him a pointed look. “This will be the norm for the next few months, so get used to it.”

Matt licked his lips as he watched her, unable to stop the rush of lust that overtook him when he stared at his pregnant girlfriend. Now that she was starting to show, he’d hardly been able to keep his hands off of her. Kol had often joked about him having a freaky fetish that he never talked about and he was beginning to think he was right. Rebekah was beautiful, but she’d never been sexier than she was with her stomach growing from carrying _his_ baby. And he knew this new fascination would only grow as her stomach did.

But it wasn’t just her swelling belly that turned him on so much. He daydreamed at work of what it would be like to see her be a mother, to watch her breastfeed and change diapers and humming him to sleep and it all turned him on so much. Perhaps it was because he had never seen his own mother do these things, but every time Matt thought about Rebekah being the mother of his children, that he was going to bear witness to this phenomenon again and again for the rest of his life, it took all his restraint to keep himself contained. Like right now, as he closed his eyes and willed down his growing erection.

“Good morning fellow housemates,” Kol said merrily as he strolled into the kitchen. Matt quickly looked back down at his plate. The last thing he wanted was for Kol to notice and his partner was _very_ observant.

Rebekah’s brow furrowed. “Since when do you two have the same days off?”

“Since I called in this morning and told them I was sick,” he grinned as he sat beside Vicki. He ruffled her hair and she swatted at him in annoyance, though she couldn’t help her smile. “I heard we’re all having a spa day.”

“ _We_ are having a spa day,” Vicki pointed between Rebekah and herself. “You and Matt can find something else to do.”

Kol pursed his lips, “Fine. It’s not a real massage if they aren’t giving happy endings anyway.”

“You’re disgusting,” Matt chuckled as he shook his head.

“I try,” he winked before turning to Vicki. “So are you going to an actual spa? Or is Damon turning his home into one? I’m sure he’d love to give you a _very_ happy ending.”

Vicki shoved him as she rolled her eyes. Matt immediately noticed the change in his sister’s expression when Damon’s name was brought up.

“We’re going to an actual spa,” she reiterated pointedly.

“I’m sure he’s given you _many_ happy endings.”

“We’re just friends Kol. I told you this.”

“And I told _you_ that Damon Salvatore doesn’t do just friends, especially with babes like you.”

“I don’t know whether I should be flattered or disturbed that you just called me that in front of my brother.”

“Disturbed,” Matt gave Kol a small glare. “They’re just friends Kol. Let it go.”

“Alright, alright. I was only having a laugh,” he held his hands up in mock surrender.

“I think I need to lie down for a moment before we leave. I suddenly feel exhausted,” Rebekah huffed as she stood. Matt’s eyes traveled to her stomach again, the bump slightly visible under the loose dress she wore, and was reminded of his half-hard cock. If he thought Rebekah was sexy now, he couldn’t imagine how he was going to handle her waddling around the house, only wearing his T-shirts and sweats. He wouldn’t be able to look at her without wanting to jump her. God, he had it bad for this woman.

“I guess you need to lie down too?” Vicki’s eyebrow rose as she stared at her brother. He flushed as he gave her a crooked grin. Kol snorted loudly as he got up.

“And you call me disgusting,” he smirked. “I always knew you had to have some kind of hidden freaky fetish but I never thought it would be pregnant women. Is this because of your mommy issues?”

Rebekah glared at him, “You’re tactless.”

“I don’t have a fetish. I just think your sister looks hot carrying my baby,” Matt chuckled as he stood. “You’re the one that always sleeps with women twice your age.”

“Because they’re more experienced.”

“I’m sure.”

“I don’t discriminate mate. I love women of all ages, shapes and sizes,” he winked. “I just happen to favor the ones that know how to please a man.”

“As riveting of a conversation this has turned into, my child does not need to hear how much of a lecher his uncle is,” Rebekah huffed as she walked out of the dining room. Matt chuckled at Kol’s face before following, leaving their siblings to their own devices.

“Sometimes I wonder if she feels uncomfortable around him,” Rebekah sighed to Matt when they were in their room and their door was closed.

“Vick? Why?”

“Because all Kol ever seems to discuss is the number of women he’s bedded or her relationship with Damon. I didn’t want to say anything earlier, but it is rather odd that she has been spending more time here lately,” Rebekah dropped onto the plush bed and sighed in relief.

“She hasn’t said anything. I think she would if he did bother her.”

“Would she?” she looked at him through her lashes. “For the first time in a long time she has a real place to call home with people that she can trust. If I were her, I wouldn’t do anything I thought would destroy that, even if I felt I was being harassed.”

“I’m sure he knows he means well, but you make a good point. I’ll talk to her about it,” Matt sat beside her with a hand on her back. “I also think I should talk to her about Damon. If something happened between them, I want to know.”

“Matt—”

“I know you think it’s none of my business, but it is Becks,” he said quickly. “She’s been through hell and back and she pretends she’s fine but I know she’s still fragile. And as much as I like Damon, I don’t want him taking advantage of her.”

Rebekah smiled softly, “I know, but we do know Damon and he knows what she’s been through. As…crude as he can be, he wouldn’t hurt her.”

Matt sighed, “You’re right. I just want to look out for her.”

“And we love you for it,” she kissed the corner of his mouth. “If you must know what happened then tread lightly. Don’t push her to talk if she doesn’t want to.”

“Yes ma’am,” Matt muttered as he caught her lips in a full kiss. His hand snaked from where it was resting on her knee up to her leg to settle on her stomach. When she pulled away, he chased her lips with his and pushed her down gently, mindful of their child between them. His hand slipped from her stomach to under her sweats, which also happened to be his, and he pressed his fingers between her legs. She gasped and jerked as he slowly massaged her nub.

“Matt,” she panted as his lips moved to her neck. “Matt!”

“What?”

“I’m spending the day with your sister, not in bed with you,” she gave him a pointed look when he pulled away.

“C’mon Becks, I’m dying!” he whined.

“Dying? You had me before breakfast!”

His hand skimmed her side and over her belly, “Doesn’t lying in bed and letting me take care of you sound better than the stupid spa?”

The blonde bit her lip as his hand kept massaging, gently rubbing her nub in slow circles and destroying her will to leave the room. Matt’s other hand lifted her shirt up, revealing her pregnant belly and he let out a huff of air at the sight.

“Hey baby,” he murmured as he kissed her navel area. “You want to stay with Daddy today, don’t you?”

“You’re not suggesting I blow your sister off to stay in bed with you,” she smiled knowingly when Matt’s forehead dropped to her stomach.

“Of course not,” he groaned. Then he smirked, “That doesn’t mean we can’t be fast.”

“I need to shower and dress.”

“How convenient; I need to shower too,” he wiggled his eyebrows and she giggled.

“You have been insatiable lately, not that I’m complaining,” her fingers raked through his hair. Though she was often tired, she loved that Matt didn’t seem able to keep his hands to himself. Her hormones weren’t the only ones that had been changing.

“I told you, you pregnant with my baby is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he purred against her thighs. “I can’t wait until you’re stomach grows and you start waddling. I bet your stomach will be so big you’ll only be able to wear my T-shirts around the house.”

“And the maternity clothes we bought last week,” she reminded with a giggle. “Do you _want_ to see me fat?”

“Not fat, pregnant,” he kissed the side of her stomach. She laughed for another moment, an idea dawning on her.

“Was Kol right about you having a fetish?” her eyebrow rose. A light blush dusted his cheeks and she laughed again. “Really?”

“I wouldn’t call it a fetish…” he scratched the back of his neck, looking down in embarrassment. “It’s not like I’m turned on by other pregnant women…there’s just something about you and the baby…I can’t really explain it.”

Rebekah’s smile grew wider as he sputtered out words. Fetish or not, Matt’s eyes and hands were constantly glued to her and she loved it.

 “What?” he asked in alarm when she gasped and her hands flew to her stomach.

“Feel,” she grabbed his hand to press against her swollen womb. They waited in tense silence for a moment before Matt felt a small bump against his hand. It startled him with how small and sudden it was that he jumped, his mouth dropped and eyes wide with complete awe.

“He’s really in there, isn’t he?” he breathed with his lips pressed to her skin. “I feel you in there little man.”

Watching him interact with their unborn child filled her heart with so much joy she thought it would burst. How she ever thought he wouldn’t want their child was beyond her. She couldn’t have found a luckier man to father her children and she fell in love a little more every time he bought another baby toy or discussed the colors he wanted for the nursery. When he came home with a book of baby names one afternoon she’d been so turned on she gave him the ride of his life on the couch, not giving a damn that Kol or Vicki could come home any moment and catch them.

“You think he can hear us?” Matt whispered, voice thick with wonder and joy.

“Yes. He knows his father’s voice by now. You speak to him every day,” she murmured, a huge smile taking over her face. “He knows how much he’s loved.”

“He’ll _always_ be loved,” he kissed her stomach again. Identical pairs of blue eyes met again as they basked in the moment.

“I was thinking…we should name him after Henrik. He’s the reason any of this is possible,” Matt said softly. Her eyes watered as she pulled him up by his shirt and crashed their lips together. His sincerity never failed to surprise her, given the kind of man he was, but she couldn’t help falling in love with him all over again for it. Losing Henrik was something neither she nor Kol would ever recover from, but Matt willing to keep his memory alive through their child relieved some of that pain.

“Henrik Niklaus Donovan,” she murmured when they parted. “I think he and Klaus would both love it.”

“I think so too,” their noses rubbed together. “I know it won’t ever bring them back but at least they’ll always be a part of our family.”

“You’re such a good man Matt Donovan,” she whispered fiercely, not even bothering to wipe the tears that had trailed down her face. “Our son is so lucky to have you as his father.”

“And you for a mother,” he murmured as he kissed the corner of her mouth. “And I’ll be the luckiest man alive when you become my wife.”

He said it with such conviction she didn’t know whether to cry or kiss him. She settled for the latter and threw herself into his arms, thoughts of leaving the house at all flying from her mind. Matt matched her passion, pushing her onto the bed and settling between her legs, mindful of their child. Her legs wrapped around his hips and she dragged her hands through his golden blonde hair, her nails lightly scratching his scalp as his hands forced the sweats off her slip hips. She lifted them to aid in assistance, moaning when one brushed over her thigh at the same time his lips moved to her neck.

“Becks, Matt, we’ve got a problem,” Kol said through the door as he knocked. Both blondes pulled away breathlessly, pausing for a brief second as they tried to regain themselves.

“What?” Matt called back.

“Vaughn wants all of us to come in for questioning. Tyler and Jeremy were arrested.”

“What?” Rebekah cried as she pushed Matt off of her and pulled her sweats back up. She ran to the door and threw it open, meeting her brother’s solemn gaze. “Arrested for _what_?”

Kol looked between them solemnly.

“For murder.”

* * *

Katherine squeezed water from the ends of her hair before it dripped onto her pristine countertops. She caught her doleful expression in the mirror and turned away, grabbing her dress from the rail it was draped over and pulling it on quickly. She stared at her feet as the dress nearly brushed the tops of them and tied the thin strips of cloth used as strings behind her neck before pulling her hair to one side. Combing her fingers through it, her mind wandered to the blonde currently sleeping off her hangover and how, by tonight, she would be back in a place she had promised she would never send her again. She had considered not doing it, but then she thought about her purse full of cocaine and knew it was the only option left.

The brunette looked to the ceiling as tears sprung to her eyes. It wasn’t _fair_. Mikael might’ve been dead but the destruction he’d done to their lives was irreversible. And they were all forced to suffer the repercussions while he lay dead in a grave; the easy way out. He would never have to live with what they went through while she had to send Caroline to rehab for the second time. The only thing worse was the blonde turning back to drugs as a coping mechanism rather than coming to her. She preferred to surround herself with strangers and vices at a bar than turn to her family, to _her_ for help. In Katherine’s eyes, Caroline chose drugs over _them_ , over _her_. After everything they had gone through together, what they had meant so little for her to renege on her promise of remaining clean. She couldn’t decide whether to be more angry or sad but both were overwhelming her quickly.

Tears leaked from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Grabbing her towel from around her body, she brought it to her face and stuffed some in her mouth to muffle the sound of her sobbing. Her heart pounded with rage and despair as she tried to gather herself, focusing her thoughts on happier times that seemed so far away now. She was furious with Mikael for causing everything, with Caroline for betraying her and Damon for abandoning her now when she needed him. He was always better with handling these situations.

“Mistress?”

Katherine turned quickly, wiping her eyes as Caroline entered her bathroom wearing only a thin black robe and a towel wrapped around her hair.

“Caroline,” she said hastily. Blinking rapidly, she kept her eyes focused on the blonde as she willed away her tears.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quickly as she approached her. Katherine attempted to move out of her reach but didn’t do enough to avoid her soft hands cupping her face, coercing their eyes to meet.

“What?” she asked quietly. She shook her head and removed herself from Caroline’s arms with great effort, the touch both welcome and unwanted. She brought her hands to the side of her nose and wiped furiously and the tears trailing down, watching her own deadened expression in the mirror.

“If this is about last night…I’m sorry,” Caroline said gently. “Thank you…for bringing me home. You didn’t have to do that.”

“You were so drunk you could not even walk, so yes, I did,” she bit out. She felt guilty when she saw Caroline flinch in the mirror.

“I don’t really remember anything. The last thing I remember is telling Jesse that I was going to lie down in the back…” she laughed humorously as she looked away. “I’m really sorry Katherine.”

“Just for that, or for everything else as well?” the brunette couldn’t help but snapped as she faced her stunned submissive. “Do not stand there and pretend to not know what I am talking about!”

“What?” she cried as she took half a step back.

“I found the drugs! There were dozens of them in your purse!” her voice rose an octave as her anger finally peaked. “You swore to me you would _never_ go back to that!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do not take me for a fool!” she screamed back. “Your purse was full of cocaine! Do _not_ try to deny it!”

The blonde gaped at her in shock, “It wasn’t mine!”

Katherine snorted as she crossed her arms over her chest; it was clear from her expression she didn’t believe her. Caroline’s bottom lip trembled as she took a step backwards.

“I didn’t relapse!” her voice wavered. “I don’t know what cocaine you’re talking about but I swear I didn’t do it!”

“Oh let me guess: you were carrying them for someone else?” she scoffed. “How many times have you used that excuse for me when I would visit you at the strip club Caroline? How many times did you tell me you were clean and you _never_ were? You might be able to lie to the others and yourself but you will _never_ be able to lie to me!”

“Katherine I _swear_ —!”

“Just tell me this: how many people did you have to fuck to get that much cocaine?” she snapped so viciously that Caroline jumped. “How many tricks did you turn so they would supply you?”

Caroline gaped at her callous words, her heart growing heaving with each second Katherine kept her furious gaze locked on her. Her shock and anguish, however, quickly turned to anger; how _dare_ she assume that she cheated just because she found her with drugs? And how dare she assume she even relapsed? Sure, she was having a difficult time dealing with everything that happened, but that didn’t give her the right to assume she relapsed, especially when she had been fighting herself for _weeks_ to not score something more potent than alcohol _for_ her. _Because_ of Katherine, she kept her promise and stayed sober and how the _fuck_ did she not realize that?

“Fuck you!” she snarled. “You don’t have the fucking right—!”

“I have every fucking right! I have every fucking right to know what the fuck you do outside this house! You are _mine_ , therefore I _do_ have the fucking right!”

She closed her eyes in regret the moment the words left her mouth, missing the fury that crossed Caroline’s face.

“I did not mean that.”

“Yes you fucking did!” Caroline snarled. The brunette’s eyes flew open at the hostility behind her words and she realized she went too far.

“Caroline, I am so sorry,” she breathed. But the blonde was too furious to listen.

“You think you own me, just like Mikael thought he fucking owned me! Like I’m some fucking dog!” she laughed in disbelief as fresh tears fell down her face. “You think I’m out every night screwing people to get my fix? Well fucking newsflash: I haven’t taken a hit of anything stronger than marijuana in over two years _because of you_! I stayed sober because _you_ deserve better than that! But what the fuck is the point if you don’t even believe me when I tell you I’m not lying? No matter what I do, you’re _always_ going to think I’ve relapsed because that’s what addicts do, isn’t it?”

“No,” Katherine shook her head as she walked towards her. The blonde kept her distance, taking large steps backwards and staying out of arms reach.

“You know what I do when I go out? I sit at the furthest seat in the corner so no one talks to me! I drink Tequila shots, then blab to the first fucking person that feels sorry enough to come talk to me about you and Damon and everything else I’ve fucked up in my life until I pass out because I have a problem that _isn’t_ drugs that I don’t know how to fucking deal with!”

A tense silence filled the bathroom as both women stared at each other with tears running down their faces. Caroline moved first, turning away from Katherine and bringing a hand to her eyes to hide her pain. Her feet were unsteady as she walked towards the door, but paused when Katherine tugged on her arm hard enough to bring her in contact with her chest. Her hands braced the brunette’s arms to regain her footing at the same moment she turned her head towards her and their lips brushed in a nearly phantom touch. The distraught blonde froze, and Katherine took advantage of the pause to press their lips together for the first time in months.

Caroline whimpered, caught between wanting to give in and needing space, but Katherine wrapped her arms around her and trapped her to her body, not giving her the distance she craved and hated simultaneously. The need to be closer, to be consumed, was strong, but so was the need for control. A harsh sob escaped her before she could stop it and she broke down, slowly sinking to her knees as she let out her sorrow. Katherine dropped next to her unceremoniously and wrapped her arms around her as she sobbed into her shoulder.  

“Hush darling,” she soothed. It did nothing to calm her and she could only hold her as she cried wordlessly into her skin and hold in her own tears. “I apologize for my words. I did not mean them, I was only afraid.”

“I didn’t take any drugs!” she sputtered, her face red from tears and emotion. “You have to believe me!”

“I do _chéri_ , I do,” she cupped her face between her hands, catching some of her matted blonde hair, and kissed her hard. “Hush now. I’m sorry.”

She kissed her forehead and rubbed her back methodically, drawing the shaking blonde into a hypnotic trance until her sobs calmed and her tears subsided and she was left leaning against Katherine with her head on her shoulder completely drained. The carpet made her legs itch, and she only just realized she was only wearing a bathrobe.

“What happened here?” the brunette’s hand brushed over a dark, long scar just above her breast. The blonde shuddered when her fingers made goosebumps along her skin. Her first reaction was to lie and say nothing, but the look in Katherine’s eyes made her reconsider.

“The first of…Mikael’s customers. He wanted to mark me, so I would always remember,” she said blankly. Katherine stared at the mark with a sinking heart, wondering how something so insignificant could have such dark meaning.

“Are there…more?”

She nodded as she pulled her robe tighter to her body self-consciously. When Katherine put a hand on hers, she looked up questioningly.

“Show me.”

“Why?” Caroline asked before she could stop herself.

“I want to understand what you went through. I know I will never fully be able to comprehend the horror you faced…but I would like to try,” she said softly. Her words gripped at Caroline’s fragile heart, and she slowly allowed her to pull her hand away from the robe, and then push the silk off her shoulders. Baby blue eyes closed in shame as olive hands roamed pale skin, tracing every dark, heinous scar created by cruel men.

Katherine felt her throat close when she finally saw the extent of the abuse she endured, vehemently wondering if anyone would be upset if Mikael’s grave was defaced. What could possess anyone to hurt someone as innocent and beautiful as the woman before her, she would never understand.

“After a while, it stopped hurting. They would make more marks but I stopped screaming. That made them mad; they liked to hear screaming,” her voice was just above a whisper. “I would just keep my eyes closed the whole time, even after they left. It was…It was easier to pretend that it was all a nightmare in my head than reality. When I heard your voice…I thought that was part of the nightmare, taunting me, until you were touching me and _there_. I thought I had died, until you told me to open my eyes,” she gave her a watery smile. “You were even more beautiful then than the first time I saw you, and I knew I would be okay.”

Tears slipped from Katherine’s eyes when she brought their lips together gently. Instead of pulling away, she gave in to her desire and carefully wrapped her arms around her slender neck. Slowly, she climbed into Katherine’s lap, knees on either side of her waist as their tongues meshed gently. When she needed air, she only pulled back a fraction, panting against Katherine’s lips as she caught her breath.

“I would not stop until you were back in my arms. I could not,” she said quietly as her fingers slid through her damp hair. “I could hardly breathe until I found you. I was so afraid that you were…that we had come too late—”

Caroline silenced her with a hard kiss, moaning as she pushed her body as close to hers as possible. Her hands roamed from her face to her shoulders, unable to keep them still out of the need to touch her in some way. Katherine’s fingers dug slightly into her back, moaning against her lips when the blonde slowly grinded her hips down and creating that much missed friction between them. Slowly, the brunette’s delicate hands slid to the front of the black silk robe and pushed it open. Caroline shuddered when her fingers danced along her breasts and created goosebumps on her skin. Her stomach clenched with anticipation and desire as they moved lower to her stomach and traced along a faded, jagged scar. When they skimmed the beginning of hair down below, she jerked back.

“Do not fear me,” the Bulgarian beauty pleaded. Caroline closed her eyes as she fought an inner battle. She wanted to give Katherine control, as she always had. She wanted to be taken care of, looked after. But the thought of being exposed again, even to someone she loved, was daunting. With exposure came pain, and she wasn’t ready to face it.

“I—I can’t,” she started to move but Katherine kept her arms around her and in place.

“Yes, you can,” she kissed the jagged scar along her breast. “You can.”

Her lips never moved from her skin as she spoke, her hands continuing that torturous trail down to her quivering thighs. The blonde parted them instinctively when fingertips danced along her inner thigh and she bit her lip, fighting her need to run and fight and give in. She wanted this; it had been so long since they went without it. But would it be the same after all this time? What if the attack changed her so much that this was nothing like it used to be?

Katherine’s fingers brushed against her nub and she jumped from surprise and pleasure. She stroked her lightly and kept her darkening brown eyes on her face, her breath coming out in short huffs as she toyed with her. She groaned when the blonde’s head fell back after a long, sensual stroke that made her thighs open even wider and allowed her to rest her full weight in her lap, allowing her to slip one finger inside her tight heat. Her hips started rolling, her hands gripping at her shoulders in need as she whimpered and shook from pleasure.

“Just let go. Let me care for you,” her voice dripped with lust as she steadily added another finger and fucked her slowly. “Do not think about anything or anyone but this.”

When her thumb added pressure to her clit on top of the fingers inside her, Caroline moaned throatily as she rolled her hips faster. Slowly, the fear of exposure left and the battle for control ended. It was fine for her to give in; nothing would happen because Katherine wouldn’t let it happen. As long as her Mistress was here, she would be fine.

Her shaking fingers found the ties to Katherine’s dress as the brunette pushed her robe past her shoulders, fully exposing her chest. She cried out when she latched onto her nipple and sucked, her fingers never losing rhythm and slowly driving her to the brink. Sweet release was so close she could nearly taste it and she rolled her hips faster, worked faster to pull Katherine’s dress down and slide the black bra off underneath. So close, almost there—

The blaring ringtone of Katherine’s cellphone startled her and she yelped as she reached her peak. The brunette never released the rosy bud from her mouth, nor did her fingers stop as she fell into orgasm, shaking and breathless and crying out wordlessly as she rode her fingers until she was left a shaking mess. The cellphone was still ringing when she slumped forward, resting her forehead against Katherine’s and kissed her languidly.

“Ignore it,” Caroline muttered against her lips when the phone ran a third time. She laughed as she pulled away and stumbled to her feet. She caught the call just before it went to voicemail.

“Hello?”

“The cops are going to pick Caroline up right now! You better have a damn good explanation for why you’re not here!” Mason snapped by way of greeting. She slapped her free hand against her forehead.

“ _Merde_!” she swore lowly. “Stall them for a while longer. We will be there shortly, I promise.”

“Hurry up,” he sighed before hanging up. She stared at the phone for a moment before throwing it on the ground and running to the closet, grabbing a pair of slacks and a silk button down shirt.  

“Put these on. We must leave for the police station immediately,” she threw them at Caroline as she struggled to tie her dress back properly.

“What for?” the blonde stared at her in alarm. “About the drugs?”

“ _Non_ , for Tyler and Jeremy,” she sighed. “You have missed much.”

“What happened?”

“They are suspects in a murder investigation, and the police wish to question you. If they do not speak to you today, they will arrest you,” she murmured as she buttoned her shirt as quickly as possible. Caroline gasped out loud.

“ _What_?”

“I will explain all on the way, but we must hurry.”

 

 

 

“It’s about time! Where the hell were you?” Mason snapped when they arrived. They immediately dropped their linked hands.

“We were—” they shared a look. “We had—”

“Follow me,” Vaughn spared them from answering. They walked past crowded desks and heckled officers with desks covered with folders to a back room that smelled like Chinese food and body odor assaulted their noses. Caroline bit her lip apprehensively when they stopped in front of the door.

“Detectives Messer and Pritchard will interview you,” Vaughn gestured to the stone-faced officers that walked with them. She looked between them nervously, slightly curling in on herself at the thought of being in their presence alone.

“Can you come with me?” she grabbed Katherine’s arm.

“No,” one spoke gruffly.

“I will be right here,” she soothed while pressing a kiss to her knuckles. She spared another reassuring smile as she was led into the room, their eyes never breaking contact until the door was shut. Caroline searched the window and she put her hand to it, wishing she could see her.

“You can stand here if you want. Shouldn’t take more than a half-hour at the most,” Vaughn sighed as he turned on the microphone and speakers. “It’s just a fishing expedition.”

“You think they’re innocent?” Mason asked quietly.

“Doesn’t matter. I still have a duty to aid in this investigation.”

“Do _you_ think they’re innocent?” Mason repeated. Vaughn looked in the interrogation room for a moment before heaving a heavy sigh.

“I think that, given everything you all have been through, if they killed these people…it was for a very good reason,” he said finally.

Katherine’s cellphone buzzed in her purse and excused herself to answer.

“Hello?”

“Hey. Jenna called the rehab center and they’ve got a spot open for Caroline, whenever she’s done being questioned,” he said gently. The half-smile fell from the brunette’s face and her early guilt hit her hard. Her knees buckled slightly and she reached out to hold the wall for support.

“Katherine? You okay?” he asked softly.

“I…I cannot do this to her. Not again,” her voice wavered. “I am so sorry Damon, I can’t send her away like this.”

“You were on board with it yesterday,” she could hear the frown in his voice and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“That was before last night and this morning,” she murmured before briefly explaining.

“I’ve never heard of this Dr. Maxfield. Is he legit?” Damon sounded skeptical. “I didn’t even know someone could specialize in sexuality.”

“I do not know much about him either, only what Jesse has said.”

“Can you trust this guy? What do you know about him?”

“He has been watching over Caroline. He wants to help her Damon, genuinely,” she sighed. “I think we should try this. All of us.”

“Why?”

She sighed, “Whether or not you believe, you are just as much a part of her life as I am in every sense. She misses you Damon. She believes you do not love her, perhaps believes you never did. If you came, it would mean so much to her.”

“I…I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he sighed deeply. “Things won’t just go back to the way they used to be Katherine.”

“ _Non_ , but they will be better,” she stressed. “Unless your feelings for us both have changed, I do not see why we could not try this. What other options do we have?”

“Kat—”

“You did not hear her this morning. Our girl is still in there. All she needs is our help to find her way back,” she bit her lip, nearly desperate with need. “Please Damon. We _both_ need you, and you need us even if you do not want to admit it.”

He was silent for a moment.

“You really think this guy can help?”

“I think it will help her more than forcing her into another rehabilitation center. Abandoning her right now would not benefit anyone.”

He was silent again and her stomach turned with anticipation. It felt like eternity had passed in that small hallway before he answered.

“If you really think this will help…then I’m in,” he said finally. “Tell me when the sessions are and I’ll come.”

“Thank you,” she breathed, a wide smile stretching across her lips. “You will not regret this, I promise.”

“What should I tell Jenna?”

“Tell her we appreciate all that she has done, but we will not be sending Caroline away,” she bit her thumb, her heart nearly bursting. “You do not know what this means to me.”

“I do,” he murmured. “Call me when you get home, okay?”

Katherine leaned against the wall when they both hung up, her body heavy with relief. For the first time in a long time, things were changing for them all.

She went back into the interrogation waiting room and watched the end of Caroline’s interrogation with newfound anxiousness. Now that she wasn’t going to be sent away, they could, perhaps, further explore what happened this morning, even make Jenna her personal therapist if she was willing. And if this Dr. Maxfield was willing to help them, perhaps they could all regain the intimacy they once had. She sighed happily; everything was finally falling into place again and she felt better than she had in a long time.

“We’re done,” one of the officers opened the door and Caroline immediately flew to her side. Katherine felt warmth spread through her when she immediately linked their fingers together.

“We’ll call if we need anything else. Thank you for your cooperation,” the second officer said without a hint of sincerity. Vaughn quickly ushered them out the rooms and to the elevators.

“Thank you guys. I know this has been a pain in the ass,” he muttered. “Tell them to hang in there.”

“We will,” Mason shook his hand firmly.

The drive back to the mansion was spent in silence, but more relaxed than before. Katherine couldn’t help her smile when Caroline held her hand the entire way. Things were going to change, and she was thrilled that something was _finally_ going right.

“I feel like I need another shower after being in there. They freaked me out,” she said when they arrived home.

“Of course darling. And afterwards…we should speak,” she said softly.

“Yeah…definitely,” she paused before she leaned in and kissed the brunette on the lips. Katherine gave her another quick kiss before sending her on her way. Reigning in her smile, she went to Jeremy’s room and knocked on the door, frowning when she received no answer.

“Strange,” she murmured as she went to Tyler’s next. Her brow furrowed when she knocked and received no answer again.

“Tyler!” she called as she knocked on the door. She frowned when she received no answer and twisted the handle, surprised when it was open. Her brother wasn’t in his bedroom, but she saw the door to his bathroom cracked and a light coming through.

“Tyler, I must tell you—”

She stopped cold when she pushed the door open and was met with the sight of Tyler’s battered face. He froze when he saw her, holding a cotton ball to his face as he cleaned a cut over his eyebrow. His right eye was swollen shut, his bottom lip cut and swelling.

“Oh my,” she breathed as she ran to him. “What happened to your face?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled as he looked down. She made a noise of protest in the back of her throat.

“Tyler, _this_ is not nothing!” she cupped his face gently, mindful of his wounds. “Who on earth did this to you?”

“No one. It was an accident,” he pulled away from her and continued cleaning his cuts. She snatched the cotton out of his hand and dabbed more peroxide on it before doing it herself.

“Who did this to you?” she nearly growled.

“It’s not a big deal Kat. I’m fine.”

“You are _not_ fine! Your nose is certainly broken and your eye is swollen shut!” she snapped. “Stop deflecting my questions and tell me who hurt you!”

 “It was an accident. It’s _not_ a big deal,” he glared at her. She ignored it, silently inspecting the rest of him.

“You did not look like this when I saw you after your arraignment, so I know it did not happen there,” she muttered. “So this must have happened after you left.”

Tyler started to shake his head but was stopped by her glare.

“Your mother told you to come straight home Tyler! Please tell me you did not do something to cause more trouble for yourself!”

“I haven’t gone anywhere Kat,” he sighed quietly. Her brow furrowed; then someone must have come here, and the only people that were here that she knew of were Hayley, Dolly and—

“Did…did Jeremy do this?” she asked is disbelief. When Tyler avoided her gaze she felt like she was punched in the gut. “ _Mon Dieu_.”

“It’s not what you think. We just had a fight,” he said quickly. “He was upset because—”

“Hayley is pregnant with your child,” she finished, blinking back a sudden onslaught of tears in her eyes.

“How the hell did you know that?”

“Dolly overheard your argument. Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

He shook his head.

“What happened Tyler?”

“We just…he was upset about Hayley and the baby and prison and…he told me to leave him alone and I wouldn’t.”

She stared at him in disbelief, as if she didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to either; he couldn’t believe he bullied Jeremy into hitting him.

“That does not give him the right to lay his hand on you. After…after everything that he has experienced with abuse, for him to do this is…” she shook her head as one tear fell. The relief she felt at finally getting through to Caroline quickly evaporated when she realized that they might have lost Jeremy. Never would she have thought that the younger could do something like this, that he was even capable of this level of violence. And to see Tyler so vulnerable nearly tore her heart in half.

“Don’t get mad at him. He didn’t even know what he was doing,” he said as he gripped her shoulders. Katherine was nearly scared by the desperation in his voice. “He’s not himself. Ever since everything with Mikael he hasn’t been himself, you _know_ that.”

“Tyler, he _broke_ your nose! He gave you a _black_ _eye_! How can you defend him for causing the abuse he endured for years?” she exclaimed. “I know he has been under a lot of stress, but we all have! That does not excuse him!”

“I bullied him into this! We said some things— _I_ said some shit to him that would piss all of you off!” he exclaimed. “We were trying to hurt each other and I said all the right things to push him over his breaking point.”

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know. I woke up and he wasn’t there. And he’s not answering his cellphone,” Tyler muttered as he pulled away from her. When he woke up this morning and Jeremy was gone, he nearly felt sick from how exposed he felt. It had been a long time since he bottomed during sex and Jeremy hadn’t been gentle, not that he expected him to be. Even still, having no one to care for him the way Stefan would afterwards made him feel shittier than he did when Jeremy discovered the truth about the murders, and it angered him that the other couldn’t even face him.

“He will not get away with this,” she said lowly as she walked out of the room. Tyler followed quickly, pleading with her the entire way to her room and snatching her cellphone out of her hands as she dialed.

“Give it to me!” she snapped.

“Don’t tell anyone,” he pleaded. “Please Kat, it’s not a big deal!”

“Yes it is! If he is capable of doing this to you, the man he claims to love, then he is capable of doing it to us!”

“You know Jeremy! He would never hurt _any_ of you!”

“I used to think the same of you Tyler!” she shot back. “Abuse is _never_ acceptable, and he does not get a free pass! I refuse to ignore this because you think he is too fragile to face what he has done!”

“It’s not his fault! I purposely pissed him off to this point!” he screamed desperately. He winced when a few of Katherine’s tears finally started falling. She grabbed his arm and dragged him to the full-length mirror in the corner of her room.

“ _Look_ at your face!” she forced him to confront his reflection. “Jeremy did _this_ to you! Even if you think he has a good reason, he had no right to abuse you like this!”

Tyler shook his head while he looked at himself in his good eye. What happened last night wasn’t abuse; it was an argument and a misunderstanding. They were enduring a lot of stress, so lashing out like this was normal.

“It was an accident,” he said softly.

“How often have you heard that same excuse from other victims? How many times did _I_ give you that excuse for Thomas?” she cried as she cupped his face. “This was no accident Tyler! His fists did not accidently make these bruises!”

 “I’m _not_ a victim!” he snapped as he pulled away. “You weren’t here last night Katherine! I said things that would make all of you hit me!”

“That does not give him the right to actually do it!”

They stared at each other angrily.

“Look, we’ll agree to disagree about if it was right or wrong,” Tyler ignored her snort. “Just…don’t tell anyone about this Kat, _please_. He needs to get help, not to be alienated by his family.”

“The hell we will agree to disagree!” she glowered. “We are all under stress, but none of us would be excused for doing _this_! Do not let your love for him cloud your judgement! We must find him before he does it again to someone else!”

“ _Who_ else would he hurt? Not you! Not Damon or Caroline or anyone we know!” he snapped.

“He hurt you, that is enough,” she growled. “We have to deal with this Tyler, whether or not you want to.”

“What does that mean?”

She glared at him pointedly, “You said he needed help.”

“He does!”

“Then we will force him to get it,” she took her cellphone back from him.

“What—What’re you doing?” he spat as she turned her back to him and pressed the phone to her ear. When he tried to take it back she side stepped him and went into her bathroom, shutting the door and locking it before he could reach her.

“Katherine, don’t!” he screamed as he pounded on the door with his palm. “Don’t you _fucking_ dare!”

On the other side of the door, the brunette’s tears slowly fell as she dialed Damon’s number. For all the progress she had just made with Caroline, it almost felt like it didn’t matter when she saw how shaken Tyler was.

“What’s up?”

“You need to come right away. Something…awful has happened,” her voice wavered. “Please hurry Damon.”

“I’m two minutes away. Hang tight.”

She nodded as she hung up, forgetting he couldn’t see her. Taking a deep breath, she exited the bathroom, preparing herself for the weight of Tyler’s anger, but was only met her brother’s nervous pacing.

“What did you _do_?” he exploded. “I told you not to tell anyone!”

“I am sorry Tyler, but I refuse to make excuses for him because of all that he has been through. He knows better, and I cannot believe you cannot see how wrong this is,” she shook her head sadly.

“I should’ve have told you fucking anything! You can _never_ keep your fucking mouth shut, can you?” he snarled angrily as he stormed out the room.

“Tyler!” she screamed after him. He ignored her as he kept walking, nearly running Damon over when he rounded the corner and startling them both.

“Woah,” the raven-haired man steadied them by his shoulders. “What’s going on?”

“You _would_ call him!” Tyler shot his sister a dirty look, “She’s just being overdramatic like usual.”

“Look at what Jeremy did to his face!” she exclaimed to him. Damon’s brow furrowed as he actually took in his best friend’s appearance.

“It’s not a big deal! I’m fine!” he shoved the taller man away. “You both get so fucking worked up over the stupidest shit!”

“This doesn’t look like some stupid shit to me,” Damon said with a slight edge. “ _Jeremy_ did this to you?”

“It’s not what it looks like—!”

“It is _exactly_ what it looks like!” she snarled. “Do _not_ defend him! You would not defend another if they had done this to us!”

“That’s different!”

“What’s going on?” Caroline asked as she came down the hall in her silk robe. She stopped abruptly when she saw the three of them, her eyes widening when they saw Tyler.

“Go back in your room Care. We’re okay,” the billionaire sighed.

“Jeremy really did this?” Damon asked Katherine again.

“Yes, and he believes that he deserved it!” she spat nastily as she glared at her brother. “He has spiraled out of control and now he is missing!”

“He isn’t missing!”

“Oh? Then where is he?” she retorted. When he didn’t answer, she snorted. “That is what I thought. He could not face the truth of what he did and he ran away!”

“He _didn’t_ run! He’s coming back!”

“Not unless he receives help!” she growled, finally losing her patience. “If he does not get the help he clearly needs, he is not allowed back in this house! If _this_ is what will happen every time he is angry then he cannot stay here!”

“You can’t kick him out of _my_ house!”

“No, but your mother can,” her eyes narrowed when his mouth dropped.

“Don’t you fucking tell her a damn thing!” Tyler screamed furiously. “I swear to God Katherine—!”

“I agree,” Damon interrupted loudly. “If Jeremy did this, he can’t stay here and he shouldn’t.”

“You don’t even fucking _live_ here! You don’t get the right to decide that!”

“Call Jenna. Tell her we will need that court order,” Katherine told Damon firmly. “Tell her it will be for Jeremy and that we will need it immediately.”

“No!” Tyler bellowed. “ _I_ will deal with Jeremy! We’re not sending him to some fucking rehab facility!”

“No, you won’t. Because you’ll just accept whatever apology he gives you,” Damon scoffed. “You’re not going to deal with him, you’re going to excuse him the way you are now.”

“He’s been through enough! He doesn’t need to be locked up on top of everything else!”

“It’s for his own good, and yours!” Damon snapped. “Just because he’s been through a lot doesn’t mean he can beat someone when he wants to! How can you not understand that this is domestic abuse?”

“Because it _isn’t_! This was a fight!”

“I didn’t see any marks on his face when I saw him this morning! And we all know that you are stronger than him!” Katherine snarled. “He must take responsibility for his actions and you cannot let your heart cloud your rationale and prevent him from receiving help!”

“She’s right Tyler. You being in denial over this isn’t helping him at all,” the raven-haired man said softly. The billionaire looked between the three of them like a wild animal that was being cornered.

“Jeremy _always_ forgave me when I hurt him! Why shouldn’t I do the same now?”

“You _never_ put your hands on him!”

“Not physically, but—!”

“Do you _hear_ yourself?” Katherine cried, her tears making a fresh appearance. “Do you hear your words Tyler? If this were me, or Caroline, or any of us you would be _furious_! If this were Jeremy you would not hesitate to take action! How can you not do the same for yourself?”

“It’s _Jeremy_! Why don’t you guys understand that?” he shouted. “This is _our_ Jeremy! We can’t just abandon him when he needs us the most!”

“ _Our_ Jeremy would’ve never done this,” Damon said quietly. The fight deflated out of the billionaire and he leaned against the wall, his shoulders sagging as if he carried the weight of the world on them.

“We are not going to abandon him. But he cannot come back to this house until this is resolved,” Katherine said quietly as she stood next to him. “What he did was wrong and he needs to be held accountable.”

“You can’t—!” Tyler started, but stopped when both of them glared him into silence.

“Call Jenna,” Katherine repeated. Damon nodded as he pulled out his cellphone and dialed her number.

“Jeremy really did this?” Caroline asked worriedly. Tyler nodded, unable to look at her with the shame he felt.

“He…he took my cellphone instead of his when he left. I don’t know why,” he mumbled as he stared at the floor. “You said you saw him this morning?”

“Yes,” she turned to Caroline. “Will you give us a moment darling?”

She nodded, quickly pulling Tyler into a hug and kissing his cheek.

“It’ll be okay,” she breathed as she pulled away. He nodded, though he didn’t agree.

“This morning, I found Caroline’s purse that she brought with her when she went out the night before…and it was full of cocaine,” Katherine murmured as soon as her door was closed. “You were still asleep, so I asked Jeremy what I should do and he said he would take care of it.”

“What?” Tyler’s eyes widened in alarm. “You don’t think…?”

“I would have never suspected it but now…now I do not know what he could be capable of,” she shook her head as more tears fell. “What if I made it worse by giving him access to those drugs?”

“No. Jeremy would never…not after what happened to me and everything that…there’s no way,” Tyler breathed, his stomach hurting from the anxiety and tension building. He didn’t think Jeremy would turn to drugs, but he had never expected him to attack him either.  

“Tyler, it could be possible.”

“He’s _not_ an addict! Don’t slap a label on him!”

“I do not mean to. But he has been under tremendous stress as you have said. Perhaps he did not want to cope any longer,” she said softly. “If that is the case, then he needs to be helped before he becomes one.”

A lump formed in his throat at the words. Katherine put her arms around him and their heads together, giving him silent support.

“I can’t believe I’m losing him like this,” he whispered. “I thought when I lost him to Mikael that was bad but…losing him like this is so much worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“He has brain damage. Pearl told my mom when he came out of surgery,” he blinked rapidly to keep from tearing up. “She said…she said it could change his personality. I never thought it would be like this.”

“If that is true, then he needs this intervention,” she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his temple. “Do not view this as punishment, but as mediation. But I was serious about not allowing him back into this house until he has been helped Tyler. You are not the only one that lives here.”

“I know,” he hugged her back, needing something solid to hang on to as he felt his world fall apart. He knew, deep down, what Jeremy did was wrong. But he wasn’t ready to admit that the person he loved, the person he would give his life for, the person he was possibly going to prison for, could do _this_ to him.

“I shouldn’t excuse him…it’s just that he’s going to hate himself when he realizes what he’s done. And I don’t want anyone else to hate him too.”

“We do not hate him. But we cannot ignore this,” she kissed his forehead. It broke her heart to witness this extent of Mikael’s ruin over her family.

“He’s not a bad person Kat,” he said quietly.

“I know _chéri_ , I know.”

“Jenna’s on her way. She filled out the form for a 51/50,” Damon sighed as he rejoined them. Tyler made a noise of protest in the back of his throat.

“Was that really necessary?”

“I think it is,” his eyebrow rose as he looked him up and down. “She also had to call your mother since she’s Jeremy’s emergency contact. She’s on her way too.”

“Fucking great,” he laughed bitterly.

“Tyler, this is for his own good,” Damon said firmly. “He needs help. And just because you don’t want to admit that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

“I know that Damon. I just would’ve preferred to do this _my_ way, without any of you involved,” he glared as he stormed past him. The raven-haired billionaire shared a look with Katherine before they both followed him.

“You need help too,” Damon called to his retreating back. “You need to go to the hospital.”

“No I don’t. I’ve had worse.”

“Do you hear yourself? You sound like a battered housewife!” he cried. “Why can’t you see how _wrong_ this is Tyler? If this was anyone else—!”

“But it’s _not_ anyone else! It’s Jeremy, the one who’s been beaten _worse_ than this! Who’s gone through more bullshit than any of us combined!” he snapped back. “Why can’t _you_ understand that he’s not some goddamned abuser that needs to be locked away?”

“He’s out of control Tyler! He needs to be locked up before he does this again!”

Tyler shook his head angrily as he stormed downstairs and into the parlor. Going behind the bar, he grabbed the first bottle of Jack Daniels and a wine glass and filled it halfway before taking a long sip. Just before he could pour more, Damon snatched the bottle out of his hand and threw the glass on the ground, making it shatter into pieces and whisky coat the hardwood floor.

“What the _fuck_ Damon?” he roared.

“You’re not starting that shit again! Not fucking today!” he yelled back. “You can get pissy all the fuck you want, but if you take one more fucking drink I’ll have Jenna 51/50 your ass too! Don’t think I won’t!”

Tyler curled his fingers into fists, his lips setting into a thin line.

“Now, your mother, Jenna and the paramedics are on their way for Jeremy and they’re going to need _you_ , his husband, to sign him into their care and you’re going to do it. Because if you really love him, you’ll make sure he gets the help he needs. But only _you_ can make that decision Tyler, and you have to do it sober,” Damon finished with quiet desperation. “Jeremy _needs_ you to be all there. Do this for him.”

The billionaire’s shoulders sagged visibly and he collapsed in the nearest barstool. He covered his face with his hands and closed his eyes as he collected himself. Damon was right; he needed to be sober to make decisions, because they now concerned Jeremy’s life.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” he muttered when he sat next to him. Damon put a hand on his shoulder and said nothing. They sat in silence until Katherine found them fifteen minutes later.

“Everyone has arrived. They are trying to decide if they should have the police locate Jeremy,” she said softly. “They are waiting for your permission Tyler.”

The billionaire was on his feet and running to the foyer immediately. Jenna stood to the side, her head bent as she talked on her cellphone. His mother was pacing, her heels hitting the marble floor hard with each step as she spoke with two paramedics wearing navy blue scrubs and white tennis shoes. A third paramedic standing with a gurney stood by the door filling out a chart; his eyes met Tyler’s and he gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Mr. Lockwood, I’ll need you to sign this to approve the 72-hour hold,” he handed him the clipboard and he took it with a shaking hand. His breath started to come in short breaths as he read and nearly felt yesterday’s lunch come up.

“Tyler!” Carol exclaimed as she ran to her son. Her hands immediately cupped his battered face, “Are you _okay_? What the hell did he do?”

“Mom, please don’t,” his voice cracked as he pushed her away gently.

“You have to keep him longer than 72-hours!” she cried to the paramedic. “He needs to be restrained with a straitjacket! He’s going to hurt himself or someone else at this rate!”

“No! He’s _not_ going through that!” Tyler shouted immediately, his heart dropping into his stomach. “I _refuse_ to do that to him!”

“Tyler, your face is a mess!” Carol cried frantically. “He shouldn’t be allowed near _anyone_ without protection!”

“You don’t even know the fucking story!” he snarled. “I’m _not_ putting him in a goddamned straitjacket! I can’t believe you’d even suggest I do that!”

“Jeremy isn’t in his right mind! He needs _help_!”

“He doesn’t need _that_!”

“Tyler,” Jenna touched his shoulder and he jumped. “I think your mother is right on this.”

“No, she’s not! He’s not crazy like me!” he growled. His vision blurred when he became slightly lightheaded and shook his head sharply to make it stop.

"Seriously?" Damon scoffed. “Tyler, you _just_ agreed with me when I said—!”

“I know I did! But that doesn’t mean he needs this!” he screamed. “What the fuck is wrong with all of you? This is _our_ Jeremy!”

“Our Jeremy that needs help Tyler!” Katherine’s lips trembled as tears streamed down her face. “ _Please chéri_ , do this for his own well-being!”

The sound of a car door closing followed by the alarm made them all pause. Slowly, all their heads turned to the front door, landing on Jeremy walking up the stairs. He paused when he saw them and his blank expression morphed into one of confusion. Tyler swallowed heavily, his legs weak like they would give out that moment. The lump in his throat returned full force when Jeremy’s eyes finally landed on him.

“Hey,” he gave the billionaire a tentative smile. “What’s going on?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome!


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